From Hogwarts to Headlines: Emma Watson’s Most Controversial Moments After Harry Potter

Emma Watson grew up on a movie set, turned into a global star before she could legally rent a car, and then chose a life that was more books-and-activism than red carpets and franchise grind. That mix of fame, ideals, and stepping back from the machine has made her a magnet for think pieces, weird rumors, and the occasional storm. Here’s the full picture, with context, the messy bits, and what actually happened.

Quick rewind: Watson kicked off as Hermione Granger, starting Harry Potter as the youngest of the main trio and closing the book on that role in 2011. After that, she split her time between film work, school at Brown and Oxford, and very public activism. It made her massively visible and, arguably, a tougher fit for some of Hollywood’s edgier offers. She’s also had one very public rift with the author who created the world that made her famous.

1. Vanity Fair photo blow-up

   Watson caught heat for a Vanity Fair shoot where she posed partially topless with a white shawl. Critics called it hypocritical for a feminist to pose that way, with British radio host Julia Hartley-Brewer posting a snarky line on social media that essentially said: feminism, wage gap, and... here are my t*ts.

   'Feminism is about giving women choice. Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with... I really don’t know what my t*ts have to do with it.'

   Watson told Reuters she found the backlash confusing, said the image felt artistic, and pointed out she’d been creatively involved in the shoot. This was one of those controversies where the internet treated a single photo like a mission statement.

2. Taking a semester off from Brown... cue the rumor mill

   After Potter, Watson prioritized school, graduating from Brown in 2014 and also spending time at Oxford. At one point she took a semester off, and the internet invented a whole bullying saga to explain it — including claims classmates mocked her with Harry Potter lines like '10 points for Gryffindor.'

   'I have never been bullied in my life and certainly never at Brown... This 10 points to Gryffindor incident never even happened.'

   Her statement shut it down: no bullying, no forced exit, just a normal break while she figured out her third-year plans — like any other student, minus the tabloids.

3. 'This Is the End' set drama and the correction that mattered

   For years, the story was that Watson walked off Seth Rogen’s apocalypse comedy over a scene involving Danny McBride as a cannibal and Channing Tatum as a leather-masked gimp on a leash. When Rogen later told British GQ the scene didn’t play the way it read and that Watson decided not to do it, people took that as confirmation she was difficult.

   'I don’t look back on that and think, How dare she... She came back the next day to say goodbye. She helped promote the film. No hard feelings.'

   Then Rogen went on X and made it crystal clear:

   'Emma Watson did not storm off the set... The narrative that she was in some way uncool or unprofessional is complete bullsh*t... I for sure should have communicated better.'

   Translation: the scene changed, she reasonably opted out, and the grown-ups handled it. Funnily enough, the scene turned out funnier than intended, according to Rogen. Also worth noting: Watson’s cameo as herself alongside James Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, and Michael Cera got plenty of praise.

4. Beauty ad backlash and the 'glow-up' chatter

   In the early 2010s, Watson fronted Lancôme’s Blanc Expert line and took flak for appearing to endorse a skin-lightening product. That clashed with how some fans saw her feminist image. Later, her rep told Refinery29 she’d be choosier about beauty work going forward:

   'My client no longer participates in advertising beauty products, which do not always reflect the diverse beauty of all women.'

   Also in the mix: mid-2020s plastic surgery rumors tied to her post-Potter 'glow-up.' Some so-called experts claimed her face changed; others pointed out, politely, that growing up is a thing. In 2017, she walked Into The Gloss through her routine — lots of natural and sustainable products — and said she’d learned to embrace her freckles more as an adult.

5. Was Hollywood sidelining her — or was she sidestepping Hollywood?

   Hermione made Watson rich and famous. It also complicated everything that came after. She told British Vogue she needed therapy to process the weirdness of being that famous that young and feeling guilty for not loving every second of it.

   'I’ve sat in therapy and felt really guilty about it... I should be enjoying this a lot more... and I’m actually really struggling.'

   Industry chatter said studios couldn’t see her beyond the 'smart girl' archetype or were wary of her activism. She reportedly passed on scripts that didn’t match her values and largely avoided sci-fi, action, and high-octane thrillers. In Hollywood Authentic, she said she missed the acting part, not the other stuff, calling the selling of it all:

   'soul-destroying'

6. BAFTAs, 'witches,' and a line that hit a nerve

   At the 2022 BAFTAs, host Rebel Wilson introduced Watson with a cheeky setup about feminism and 'we all know she’s a witch.' Watson took the mic and fired back with:

   'I’m here for all of the witches.'

   Social media read it as a pointed nod toward J.K. Rowling’s stance on trans issues. Rowling later called that moment a 'turning point' for her, adding that Watson had sent a handwritten note via a third party that said:

   'I’m so sorry for what you’re going through'

   Rowling’s bigger point was that the BAFTA quip poured fuel on the fire at a time when threats against her were peaking. Very behind-the-scenes dynamic, extremely public setting.

7. Watson vs. J.K. Rowling — the feud that won’t die

   Things really cracked in 2020 after Rowling published an essay on trans activism, which sparked loud backlash from fans and several Potter actors. Watson weighed in with a clear statement:

   'Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned.'

   In 2023, when a supporter suggested Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson would eventually apologize to her, Rowling replied:

   'Not safe, I’m afraid.'

   Watson has tried to thread the needle more recently. On Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, she said she still values Rowling and the time they shared:

   'It’s my deepest wish that I hope people who don’t agree with my opinion will love me, and I hope I can keep loving people who I don’t necessarily share the same opinion with... There is no world in which I could ever cancel her out, or cancel that out.'

   Rowling’s response was harsher. She said Watson and Radcliffe have treated their old connection to Potter as a license to publicly critique her for years:

   'Emma and Dan in particular have both made it clear... they continue to assume the role of de facto spokespeople for the world I created.'

   And then came the sting:

   'Emma has so little experience of real life she’s ignorant of how ignorant she is.'

   That’s where things stand: Watson advocating for trans people and trying to keep space for nuance; Rowling doubling down and pushing back harder at the actors she helped launch.

Bottom line: Watson’s career after Hogwarts has been a mix of careful choices, public advocacy, and the kind of controversies that happen when your life plays out on a giant stage. Some of it was overblown, some of it was personal, and some of it was truly complicated. Welcome to growing up famous.