Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was the hot Broadway ticket of 2018, delivering a gargantuan two-part theatrical extravaganza intended to delight adults and children alike. So, naturally, who else would you want in the audience on opening night than the modern era’s most notorious pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein?
The recent release of yet another batch of Epstein files has sent shockwaves around the world, confirming that some of the most powerful men were up to their ears in Epstein’s business. But one name we weren’t expecting to be linked to him is… JK Rowling.
But here we are, with a batch of emails from April 2018 in which promoter Peggy Siegal pushed for Epstein – “a very important friend of mine” – to be invited to the opening night and dinner celebrations for The Cursed Child‘s Broadway opening. Epstein was duly invited, with the invitation reading:
“Women’s Rights campaigner.” Children’s author. “Women and girls must be protected.” A full ten years after Epstein was convicted of procuring a child for prostitution. How stupid does the UK’s shitty media look? Special shout out to @BBCNews and @rburgessbbc . My character is… pic.twitter.com/vyzBrZRH8Z
— India Willoughby (@IndiaWilloughby) February 1, 2026
“Sonia Friedman, Colin Callendar and JK Rowling invite you and a guest to the Official Broadway Opening of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”
It appears that Epstein’s attendance was a priority, with the emails detailing how the tickets were being couriered to him.
Did she actually meet with him?
At this point, we should underline that there’s no indication that JK Rowling was personally aware of any of this. Rowling presumably had better things to do than micromanage the guest list for The Cursed Child‘s opening night and dinner and may not have ever met Epstein at the event.
But we should remember that this event took place in 2018, by which time Epstein had a notorious reputation as someone who trafficked and sexually abused minors, had a conviction under his belt for procuring for prostitution a girl below the age of 18, and had spent time behind bars for that.
Despite all this, Epstein was, without question, considered a suitable guest to attend a play aimed at children. We have to hope that if Rowling had been made aware of this, she’d have ensured he wouldn’t get within a mile of opening night, but, frankly, who can say?
What we do know is that The Cursed Child team was happy to extend an official invitation to Epstein on behalf of JK Rowling, and by accounts, he attended, presumably all the while surrounded by the children of the rich and famous who were there to enjoy the show.
Published: Feb 2, 2026 08:40 am