Gay comedian Bowen Yang dresses as Dobby and roasts JK Rowling in trans rights SNL sketch

LGBTQ+ comedian Bowen Yang poked fun at Harry Potter author JK Rowling by dressing as Dobby the house elf on Saturday Night Live at the weekend, skewering the author’s views on trans rights.

Hot on the heels of Rowling’s response to Emma Watson addressing the rift between the two, SNL star Yang dressed up as the elf and said: “Scared? Why would Dobby be scared, sir? Dobby’s just about to publicly weigh in on trans people, that’s all.

“Master sent Dobby to go on the telly and define, once and for all, what a woman is, sir.

“Master Rowling has done so much for Dobby and for inclusion in general. Remember when Dumbledore was gay, after the books came out? And when Hermione was Black, only on Broadway? And when Cho Chang was…” he added before trailing off.

“Hmm… was Cho Chang Asian? Dobby can’t remember if the character Cho Chang was Asian.”

Then, referencing Rowling’s gender-critical views, Yang/Dobby went on to say: “Perhaps house elves are somehow always the problem, even though we’re only one per cent of the population. But house elves aren’t the victims, master Rowling is. She gets so much hate mail.” He then revealed a T-shirt of the author adorned with the words “They-K Rowling.”

Rowling’s first shared her views on trans people in 2019 and more recently celebrated “TERF VE Day”.

Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger in all eight film adaptations of Rowling’s stories, recently lamented the rift between her and the author, who responded by calling the former child star “ignorant” and “cushioned by wealth and fame”.

Last year, Rowling said she would not “forgive” Watson or her co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint for voicing support for the trans community.

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• Dec 31 2024

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