Some Saturday Night Live fans thought the show made a subtle jab at controversial Harry Potter writer JK Rowling through an LGBTQ-focused parody of the well-known series.
The NBC improvisational comedy show came back from its winter hiatus on January 18 withStranger Thingsactor Finn Wolfhard as host and rapper A$AP Rocky as the musical performer. The episode included a Harry Potter sketch that parodiedthe well-known hockey love story series Heated Rivalry.
The recorded scene showed Harry Potter and Ron Weasley involved in a intense romantic relationship at Hogwarts. Finn played the part of Harry whileSNLCast member Ben Marshall played the role of Ron.
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Jason Momoa appeared briefly as Rubeus Hagrid, telling Harry, “You’re a homosexual, Harry.”
Some audience members saw SNL as mocking JK, the creator of a popular children’s book series that led to a large movie franchise and an upcoming TV adaptation, through the sketch’s storyline with a gay theme, reportsthe Mirror USA viewer commented on X, previously known as Twitter, “they took a story by a homophobic author to portray a gay narrative…? ooookay, I get it.”
A second user responded, “That’s part of the humor; they actually made a joke about it in the review section regarding how it would specifically annoy her because she’s a pos.”
Another remarked, “This is akin to the ultimate middle finger to J.K. Rowling, honestly.”
A fourth person replied, “Exactly. She’s going to dislike this and that in itself is a victory!”
Other readers expressed disagreement, pointing out that the 60-year-old British writer has faced accusations of transphobia instead of homophobia. JK Rowling has not shown the same degree of open and public opposition to the LGBTQ+ community as she has with her ongoing anti-trans statements.
She frequently expresses negative comments about transgender people and keeps highlighting them.
Nonetheless, JK Rowling has encountered backlash from the LGBTQ+ community concerning her portrayal of Albus Dumbledore’s sexual orientation and the lack of queer representation in the series.
J.K. Rowling did not directly show Dumbledore’s sexuality in the books, but in 2007, she revealed that the headmaster was gay. During a Q&A session at Carnegie Hall after the release of the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, she said, “My honest answer to you … I always considered Dumbledore to be gay.”
“Dumbledore was in love with Grindelwald, and that intensified his horror when Grindelwald revealed his true nature,” she added.
Later, in the 2019 DVD and Blu-Ray special features for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, JK Rowling confirmed that Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald had a romantic relationship.
She described their relationship as extremely intense,” she mentioned in the article. “I’m not as focused on the sexual aspect – although I think there is a sexual element to this connection – as I am on the emotional bond they shared, which is ultimately the most intriguing part of any human relationship.
Heated Rivalry, a well-known Canadian show that debuted in November of the previous year, is adapted from the Game Changer book series written by Rachel Reid.
The storyline centers on Canadian hockey player Shane Hollander, performed by Hudson Williams, and Russian hockey player Ilya Rozanov, brought to life by Connor Storrie. Although they compete against each other on the rink, they have a hidden, intense relationship that has lasted for many years.
The program was developed, written, and overseen by Jacob Tierney for Crave. The six-episode show features a notable ensemble cast with François Arnaud, Robbie G.K., Christina Chang, Dylan Walsh, Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, and Sophie Nélisse.
Fans are excited to learn that “Heated Rivalry” is set to return for a second season.
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