Nicola Coughlan slams author JK Rowling for celebrating the UK's ruling against trans woman

Bridgerton actress Nicola Coughlan publicly criticised JK Rowling after the author celebrated the UK Supreme Court's ruling that determined trans women are not legally considered women. The decision sparked widespread debate but got approval from Rowling, who shared a photo of herself on X holding a drink and smoking a cigar with a caption.

The post did not go well with Nicola, who shared a post from a newsparer titled This Is a New Low for JK Rowling” on her Instagram Stories, she added her own message: “Keep your new Harry Potter lads.” 

Her comment reffered to the upcoming Harry Potter reboot series, which Rowling is directly involved in, having taken part in selecting the showrunner and executive producers. Nicola made it clear she would not want to be a part of the show and stated she “wouldn’t touch [the series] with a ten-foot pole.”

Nicola also expressed her solidarity with the trans community in a video posted to Instagram. 

“To see an already-marginalized community to be further attacked in law is really stomach-turning and disgusting, and these people celebrating it more stomach-turning and disgusting,” she said.
Nicola announced she planned to raise funds for Not A Phase, a U.K.-based charity that supports trans adults. Coughlan initially pledged to match donations up to £10,000.

Did JK Rowling just take a massive dig at Harry Potter stars with this post?

“If you are a cisgender person who is an ally of a trans person, I think now is the time to just speak up and make your voice heard, and let your trans, nonbinary friends and just the community at large know that you’re there for them and will keep fighting for them," she added.

Nicola joins a growing number of public figures who have spoken out against Rowling’s views, which first drew intense backlash way back in 2020. Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon noted how painful the author's remarks were for her own transgender son. Pete Davidson called Rowling out during a segment on Saturday Night Live, asking, “What’s wrong with her?”

Even stars from the Harry Potter franchise have distanced themselves from Rowling ever since she made controversial remarks about the trans community. Daniel Radcliffe responded with an essay for The Trevor Project, writing, “To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you. I really hope that you don’t entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you.”

Rupert Grint expressed similar sentiments, telling The Sunday Times, “I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers. Trans women are women. Trans men are men.”

Emma Watson also made her position clear in a tweet: “Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are. I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are.”