Jon Stewart Claims He Was Only Kidding About J.K. Rowling Dig

J.K. Rowling is well-known for her masterpiece “Harry Potter.” Jon Stewart recently chastised Rowling for using anti-Semitic tropes in the Harry Potter novels and movies. Now the former Daily Show host is taking back those comments.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism has defended J.K. Rowling against Jon Stewart’s claims that the bank goblins in her Harry Potter series are stereotypes of Jews. Stewart later referred to his statements on Wednesday as “a joke.”

Stewart connected the goblins in Rowling’s books to the anti-semitic images contained in the 1903 book The Protocols of the Elders of Zion in a recent podcast tied to Stewart’s AppleTV+ series The Problem, Variety reports.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism, in a tweet Wednesday, defended Rowling over the sudden two-decade-old outcry, stressing in a statement that “the portrayal of the goblins in the Harry Potter series is of a piece with their portrayal in Western literature as a whole.”

“It is the product of centuries of association with Jews with grotesque and malevolent creatures in folklore, as well as money and finance. The mythological associations have become so ingrained in the Western mind that their provenance no longer registers with creators or consumers.”

The U.K. organization added, noting the similarities between Rowling’s goblins and anti-Semitic illustrations.

“is a testament more to centuries of Christendom’s antisemitism than it is to malice by contemporary artists. She has proven herself over recent years to be a tireless defender of the Jewish community in its fight against antisemitism, for which we are immensely grateful.” 

Stewart took to Twitter on Wednesday to clarify that he was only joking about the anti-Semitism allegations and that his prior talk was “light-hearted.”

“I do not think J.K. Rowling is antisemitic. I did not accuse her of being antisemitic. I do not think the Harry Potter movies are antisemitic. I really love the Harry Potter movies, probably too much for a gentleman of my considerable age.”

“I cannot stress this enough. I am not accusing J.K. Rowling of being antisemitic. She need not answer to any of it. I don’t want the Harry Potter movies censored in any way. It was a lighthearted conversation. Get a fucking grip.”

The author’s continued confrontations with the trans community over her stance on gender resulted in Rowling’s near-erasure from HBO Max’s 20th anniversary special about the Potter films.

It’s unclear if the goblins in Harry Potter were purposely anti-Semitic or not. Stewart’s rehashing of the 20-year-old allegations is just the latest controversy to engulf Rowling in recent years. Tune in to Thirsty for further developments on this topic.

What’s your opinion on this one? Let us know in the comments!!!