After a cryptic post, fans think JK Rowling said Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint ‘instantly ruined’ ‘Harry Potter’

If you’ve followed J.K. Rowling’s X page over the past few years, you’ll know she has a penchant for unhinged cruelty and rage-bait, but a recent post might just take the cake.

The post in question saw the controversial Harry Potter author reply to an X user who asked “what actor/actress instantly ruins a movie for you.” While some of the more predictable responses ranged from Kevin Spacey to Johnny Depp (for obvious reasons), Rowling came through with what many believed to be a swipe at the Harry Potter franchise’s beloved trio of stars. “Three guesses,” the author wrote, adding that her reply was “too irresistible” not to share. She also added laughing emojis, but legions of Potterheads will not find this funny.

Three guesses.

Sorry, but that was irresistible.
🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/hAMHw2b8EV

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) March 18, 2025

While she never mentioned them by name, Rowling’s tumultuous history with Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint — who portrayed Harry, Hermoine and Ron across all eight installments of the film series — took much of the guesswork out of her response, at least according to fans. “My three guesses in one image,” one X user wrote alongside an image of the Harry Potter trio, with another adding that “we don’t need a detective to figure this one out.”

A brief look at Rowling’s now-soured relationship with the Harry Potter cast reveals the source of her not-so-subtle swipe at Radcliffe, Watson and Grint. Following her string of transphobic statements back in 2020 (which have continued in the years since), all three actors distanced themselves from Rowling. Radcliffe publicly rejected Rowling’s certifiably TERF views by declaring that “trans women are women” in an essay for The Trevor Project, while Watson said trans people “deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned.”

My three guesses in one image pic.twitter.com/o6uHXZtxS1

— Brigulous Dog Whistle (@Brig_333) March 18, 2025

For his part, Grint said in 2021 that “it’s important to stand up for what you believe in, and I support trans rights.” Naturally, being the controversy magnet that she is, Rowling responded to their criticisms with a vague swipe in a 2023 podcast interview, saying there “were a few actors I thought had a little more backbone.” The feud was reignited last year, when Radcliffe said Rowling’s stance on trans rights was “really sad” and the author responded by saying she would never forgive him… even though he never offered an apology. 

Of course, since she never named names in her more recent post, we can’t know for sure whether Rowling was actually saying Radcliffe, Watson and Grint “instantly ruin[ed]” the Harry Potter franchise, but it doesn’t take an Accio spell to summon the probable answer. With such a knack for drawing negative attention — whether it’s engaging in X feuds with Azealia Banks or buddying up with Elon Musk — it’s somewhat surprising that Rowling is said to be “very involved” in HBO’s upcoming television reboot of Harry Potter, even as it broke one of her time-honored casting rules for the original film series. 

IT’S NOW OFFICIAL: John Lithgow will be Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series for Max.

John Lithgow: “It wasn’t an easy decision because it will define the last chapter of my life. I’m very excited. I’ll be 87 when it’s over, but I said yes.” pic.twitter.com/iTQFQ8xSuW

— Daily Harry Potter (@TheDailyHPotter) March 2, 2025

Speaking of casting for the HBO series, it was recently revealed that John Lithgow will portray Professor Albus Dumbledore, while Janet McTeer and Paapa Essiedu are rumored (though not yet confirmed) to take on the roles of Professor Minerva McGonagal and Severus Snape, respectively. Given her track record, I give it a couple of months before members of the Harry Potter reboot cast are subject to a social media swipe from Rowling.