Boy George goes after ‘bully’ JK Rowling in wild feud over trans rights — and instantly regrets it

A clash between Boy George and JK Rowling over transgender rights has turned heated, with the pair trading sharp comments in a public war of words.

Boy, this is messy.

Boy George picked a fight with JK Rowling on X over the Harry Potter author’s controversial views on the transgender community.

The feud started when the British DJ, 64, responded to a thread between Rowling, 59, and another user where she asked, “Which rights have been taken away from trans people?”

“The right to be left alone by a rich bored bully!” George, who is openly gay, wrote.

But Rowling had a scathing response to the singer the next day.

“There are many differences between us, George, but some are particularly relevant to this debate,” Rowling wrote, pointing out that George is a man, while she’s a woman, and that he’s “been wealthy and famous” since his early 20s, while Rowling didn’t make a name for herself until she was over 30.

There are many differences between us, George, but some are particularly relevant to this debate.

1. You're a man and I'm a woman.

2. You've been wealthy and famous since your early 20s. I didn't become well known until I was well over 30.

3. I've never been given 15 months… https://t.co/bBbG9NPNKm

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 15, 2025

“I’ve never been given 15 months for handcuffing a man to a wall and beating him with a chain,” Rowling added, referring to George being sentenced to 15 months in prison in 2009 after he was convicted of the assault and false imprisonment of a male escort.

Continuing her take-down of George, Rowling wrote, “You yourself have been convicted of violent assault. The overwhelming number of people who commit crimes of violence are male, just like you.”

“That’s why I don’t want to see men identifying into women’s prison cells or any of the spaces mentioned above,” she added. “Not all men are violent or predatory, but enough are to make safeguarding necessary.”

Boy George picked a fight with J.K. Rowling on X over the Harry Potter author’s controversial views on the transgender community. Picture: Dean Stockings

JK Rowling’s views have caused some Harry Potter fans to threaten to boycott HBO’s upcoming TV show adaptation, which she’s an executive producer on. Picture: AFP

Rowling concluded: “For a man who was once all about nonconformity, George, you couldn’t have become more predictably or more tediously conformist.”

The following day, an X user resurfaced a 2020 message from George that read, “SO many pronouns, so little time,” which sparked a reaction from Rowling.
“In fairness, he’s no worse than half the slebs who clambered onto the gender bandwagon because they were scared of being unfashionable,” she tweeted. “You could dig up most of their deepest convictions in under a minute, with a teaspoon.”

George, in turn, hurled more insults at Rowling.

“The demolition of her filler face is more laughable! The dragon has been slayed!” he wrote.

In fairness, he’s no worse than half the slebs who clambered onto the gender bandwagon because they were scared of being unfashionable. You could dig up most of their deepest convictions in under a minute, with a teaspoon. https://t.co/LQ4AjIL3vL

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 16, 2025

In another tweet, George — real name George Alan O’Dowd — told Rowling she gets her fun “from other people’s pain.”

Rowling’s controversial comments about the transgender community have been met with backlash over the last few years.

Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson even spoke out and publicly disagreed with her back in 2020.

In April, franchise actors Eddie Redmayne, Paapa Essiedu and Katie Leung signed a pro-trans open letter after the UK Supreme Court ruled that the terms “woman” and “sex” refer strictly to a biological woman and biological sex.

Rowling’s controversial comments about the transgender community have been met with backlash over the last few years. Picture: WireImage

Rowling celebrated the ruling with a photo of her smoking a cigar and holding a drink. “I love it when a plan comes together. #SupremeCourt #WomensRights,” she wrote in her caption.

Her views have even caused some Harry Potter fans to threaten to boycott HBO’s upcoming TV show adaptation, which she’s an executive producer on.

However, HBO CEO Casey Bloys went on record saying that the series will not be “secretly infused” with Rowling’s opinions.

“The decision to be in business with J.K. Rowling is not new for us. We’ve been in business for 25 years,” Bloys said in April.

“And if you want to debate her,” the exec added, “you can go on Twitter.”

This story originally appeared in The New York Post

Originally published as Boy George goes after ‘bully’ JK Rowling in wild feud over trans rights — and instantly regrets it