Why was J.K. Rowling reported to the police by a former ‘Big Brother’ star, and how has she responded?

One day they’ll write books about J.K. Rowling and her fall from grace. A decade ago she was loved by all and many saw her as an ally to the LGBT community; fast forward to today and she’s a pariah who’s been reported to the police thanks to her clashes with trans journalist India Willoughby.

Rowling, who is currently working with Warner Bros. on a Harry Potter serial remake, has butted heads with Willoughby numerous times in the past, though their most recent altercation on X was exceptionally nasty. It started when someone sent Rowling a video of the former Celebrity Big Brother star asking whether she should be made to use the men’s locker room. The author’s response was to misgender and insult Willoughby:

Why were the police called?

Since then things have continued to spiral. Once Willoughby caught wind of what the author had said about her she responded and the two have been trading blows for the last few days. Deadline reports that Willoughby spoke to the police on Monday, March 4th. As per the Crown Prosecution Service guidelines, “transgender identity” is indeed covered under hate crime legislation in the United Kingdom.

Has J.K. Rowling responded?

As you might guess, Rowling was quick to respond and did not back down. She claims the journalist’s remarks against her are “defamation” and “obsessive targeting”. The whole thing has quickly devolved into a mud-slinging contest, with the author bringing up previous posts from the former Big Brother star that haven’t aged well, (to put it lightly). She’s even made threats to take legal action against Willoughby herself.

Rowling also cited the Forstater ruling which says that “gender critical” views are a philosophical belief and therefore are protected, based on current UK laws. However, it seems unlikely that the author will be arrested for what she’s said. Although her legal threat is just as unlikely to lead to anything, despite her confidently claiming that Willoughby is harassing her, it’s hard to stand by that when Rowling started this most recent argument in the first place.