Warner Bros. Discovery "strongly condemns" threats made toward J.K. Rowling after Salman Rushdie attack

"The company strongly condemns any form of threat, violence or intimidation when opinions, beliefs, and thoughts might differ," said the company in a statement.

By Savannah Olson | August 15, 2022 | 4:38pm

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Author J.K. Rowling Photo: Stuart C. Wilson

This past Friday, author Salman Rushdie was stabbed repeatedly during a lecture in New York. Known for his controversial 1988 novel The Satanic Verses, Rushdie has been the target of death threats for many years now—including a fatwa imposed by the former head of Iran in 1989. While Rushdie has now been taken off his ventilator and is reportedly heading towards a road of recovery, the attack has garnered other creatives to speak out about the threats made upon them.

Included in that group offering their support to Rushdie was Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, who tweeted out how “sick” she felt by the “horrifying news.” Not long after, Rowling shared a threatening reply she received that said she was “next,” with her reaching out to Twitter Support for aid. Eventually, the author revealed that due to the threatening message, she had gotten in contact with the police.

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On Sunday, the threats towards Rowling prompted Warner Bros. Discovery to make a statement on Sunday condemning such online “intimidation,” as well as the violent attack on Rushdie.

“Warner Bros. Discovery strongly condemns the threats made against J.K. Rowling,” reads the full statement from the company, per IndieWire. “We stand with her and all the authors, storytellers and creators who bravely express their creativity and opinions. WBD believes in freedom of expression, peaceful discourse and supporting those who offer their views in the public arena. Our thoughts are with Sir Salman Rushdie and his family following the senseless act of violence in New York. The company strongly condemns any form of threat, violence or intimidation when opinions, beliefs and thoughts might differ.”

While the Harry Potter series has remained beloved by generations since its release, Rowling’s magic has ebbed off since deciding to tweet out anti-trans rhetoric non-stop for the last few years. She’s grown to be such a controversial figure, that even the three main leads of her wizard book series turned massive movie franchise have made statements disregarding the author’s views and standing in support of the transgender community.