J.K. Rowling Reveals the Exact Moment Emma Watson Betrayed Her—at the Peak of Violent Threats

The Rowling vs. Watson saga is back in the news, and this round is messy. It starts with a BAFTAs one-liner, detours through a handwritten note, and lands with a long post on X. If you thought this was cooling off, it isn’t.

The moment everything snapped

J.K. Rowling, now 59, says she can name the precise moment she felt Emma Watson turned on her: Watson’s intro at the BAFTAs in March 2022. She walked onstage and opened with:

'I'm here for all of the witches.'

Rowling says that hit while she was taking the worst online abuse of her career — threats of rape, torture, and death — and that the joke only threw more fuel on the fire. Not long after, Rowling says a brief handwritten note from Watson arrived through a go-between:

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

Rowling didn’t buy the contrast: a viral quip in public, a soft apology in private. She says that’s when her view of Watson shifted and she stopped biting her tongue about their strained dynamic. Some Potter actors still back Rowling publicly, but the Watson relationship remains the most tense and scrutinized.

Watson softens, Rowling fires back

Fast forward. Watson recently discussed the rift on Jay Shetty’s podcast, saying she still treasures Rowling, hopes people can keep relationships even when they disagree, and that the author’s politics don’t erase how she feels about her.

Rowling answered with a long post on X on September 29, 2025, calling the new tone a 'change of tactic.' She framed Watson’s comments as part of a wider celebrity pivot — that outright denouncing her views isn’t as fashionable as it used to be — and accused Watson of ignorance on the issue.

'I'm not owed eternal agreement from any actor who once played a character I created,' Rowling wrote, before arguing that the sudden moderation felt strategic.

Rowling also says she’s avoided talking about Watson for years, repeatedly declining to comment in interviews because she didn’t want to direct more pressure at her. But Watson’s new remarks, Rowling says, put everything back on the table — so she answered directly.

Why this keeps flaring up

Rowling didn’t stop with Watson. She also name-checked Watson and Daniel Radcliffe for what she sees as their long-running role as unofficial spokespeople for all things Potter. In her view, even years after the films wrapped, both actors keep weighing in on her beliefs as if their history with the franchise gives them a special mandate to interpret (and critique) her intent. Calling them out directly, Rowling argued, is part of why this split inside the Potter world never really goes quiet.

How we got here, at a glance

• March 2022: Watson opens her BAFTAs bit with 'I'm here for all of the witches.' Rowling says she was under peak harassment and felt the line worsened it.
• Soon after: A short handwritten message from Watson reaches Rowling via a third party: 'I'm so sorry for what you're going through.' Rowling finds it hollow next to the public moment.
• Post-2022: Rowling says she stays mostly quiet about Watson despite repeated media questions.
• 2025: Watson tells Jay Shetty she still treasures Rowling and hopes for relationships across disagreements.
• September 29, 2025: Rowling posts on X, calls Watson’s approach a 'change of tactic,' says full-throated condemnations of her are less trendy now, and criticizes both Watson and Radcliffe for acting like franchise interpreters.

My read

This is one of Rowling’s most direct public shots at Watson yet, and it’s loaded with timing politics: a viral awards joke during a harassment peak, a private apology, and now a public softening followed by a public smackdown. Whatever you think of anyone’s stance, it’s clear both sides know their words are doing double duty — for fans, for the press, and for the legacy of a franchise that won’t stop being a lightning rod.

Where do you land on this latest exchange? Sound off below.