Jonathan Ross has backtracked on his tweets in defence of JK Rowling, after discussing the author’s controversial tweets about sex and gender with his daughters.
Ross had previously backed the Harry Potter author after she criticised an article for using the inclusive term “people who menstruate” and posted a number of tweets that were deemed anti-trans.
"For those accusing her of transphobia, please read what she wrote. She is clearly not," the TV host tweeted.
He later replied to a follower that he thought they were “sort of wrong” for suggesting he wasn’t knowledgeable enough to talk on the subject, expanding: “It is a heated and rather troubling debate. But hopefully people will find space to both talk and listen.”
However, after discussing the matter with his 23-year-old daughter, Honey, who had widely condemned Rowling’s posts on social media, Ross returned to Twitter and wrote: “Those who know me will concede I try to be thoughtful & not a d***.”
“Having talked to some people (OK, my daughters) re my earlier tweet, I’ve come to accept that I’m not in a position to decide what is or isn’t considered transphobic,” he continued.
“It’s a wildly sensitive subject. Let’s keep talking.”
Rowling’s comments have divided her fans, with many suggesting that it was inappropriate and ignorant for the children’s author to launch an “attack” on the trans community during Pride Month, and also while Black Lives Matter protests were taking place across the world.
In response, Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe wrote an essay that expressed his support for the trans community, along with his sympathy for LGBTQ+ fans who were distressed by Rowling's comments.
“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,” he said.
