Some fans of Saturday Night Live believed the show made a subtle reference to JK Rowling through an LGBTQ-focused Harry Potter sketch.
The NBC sketch comedy show returning from its winter break on January 18, with Stranger Things actor Finn Wolfhard hosting and rapper A$AP Rocky performing as the musical guest. During the show, there was a Harry Potter sketch that satirizedthe popular hockey romantic series, Heated Rivalry.
A pre-recorded sketch depicted Harry Potter and Ron Weasley engaging in a romantic relationship at Hogwarts. Finn took on the role of Harry, while SNL performer Ben Marshall portrayed Ron. Jason Momoa made an unexpected appearance as Rubeus Hagrid in the scene, saying to Harry, “You’re a homo, Harry.”
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Some audience members believed that SNL was subtly criticizing JK, the author of a children’s series that has evolved into a film franchise and is now set for a new TV adaptation, through the sketch’s gay-themed direction.
A person on X, formerly known as Twitter, wrote something that led to the conversation, “they used a homophobic author’s story to represent a gay story…? ooookay got it.”
A second user replied, “That’s part of the humor; they actually made a joke about it in the reviews section regarding how it would specifically annoy her because she’s a snob.”
Another remarked, “This is akin to the ultimate middle finger to J.K. Rowling, honestly.”
A fourth person responded, “Exactly. She’s going to dislike this and that in itself is a victory!”
Other comments expressed disagreement, stating that the 60-year-old British writer was transphobic rather than homophobic.
JK has not shown the same level of overt and public homophobia as her strong anti-trans views. She regularly makes prejudicial remarks against the transgender community and is constantly directing her criticism towards them.
However, JK has been criticized by the LGBTQ+ community for how she portrayed Albus Dumbledore’s sexuality and the absence of queer characters in the series.
JK also never explicitly stated that Dumbledore was gay in the series, butin 2007, she disclosed that the headmaster was homosexual. During a Q&A session at Carnegie Hall shortly after the release of the final book,HHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” she said, “My honest response to you… I’ve always considered Dumbledore to be gay.”
“Dumbledore was in love with Grindelwald, and that intensified his horror when Grindelwald revealed his true nature,” she said.
In the 2019 DVD and Blu-Ray release of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, J.K. Rowling stated that Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald were in a romantic relationship.
“Their connection was extremely passionate,” she stated.in the feature.I’m not as focused on the sexual aspect — although I think there is a sexual element to this relationship — as I am on the emotional connection they shared, which is ultimately the most intriguing part of any human relationship.
Exciting Competition is a popular Canadian television series that premiered last November. It is adapted from Rachel Reid’s Game Changer book series and centers on Canadian hockey player Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Russian hockey player Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) as they maintain a long-standing, hidden, intense relationship while appearing as opponents on the ice.
The series, developed, written, and directed by Jacob Tierney for Crave. The six-episode program features François Arnaud, Robbie G.K., Christina Chang, Dylan Walsh, Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, and Sophie Nélisse.
The series is scheduled to return for a second season.