J.K. Rowling faced a harsh response after she shared a tribute to Dolly Parton. The “Harry Potter” author called out one critic who told her, “It should have been you.” Rowling said the message amounted to publicly wishing death on her. She also replied to several other critics on X.
J.K. Rowling called out a critic for ‘wishing death’ on her after she honored Dolly Parton.
Rowling paid tribute to Parton on Tuesday after the country legend died at 80 following a brief battle with cancer. Rowling praised Parton’s Imagination Library and recalled meeting her backstage at a talk show in the 1990s. “I was completely tongue-tied and starstruck,” Rowling wrote on X. She described Parton as “a complete, irreplaceable one-off.”
One critic responded to Rowling’s tribute with, “It should have been you.” Rowling shared a screenshot of the message with her followers. She wrote, “Top tips for wishing death on people in public.” Rowling also cautioned that blocking the target would be of no benefit if the critic included their actual name and university in their bio.
Rowling also responded to other negative comments regarding her tribute. One user called her a “f–king monster” and said she and Parton had nothing in common. Rowling joked that neither she nor Parton wanted Jolene to “take our man,” referring to Parton’s 1973 song “Jolene.” She also reacted when another user claimed that Parton was a supporter of Donald Trump.
“Oh, do f–k off,” Rowling wrote in response. She then called Parton “100,000x the person you are.” Rowling’s views on transgender issues have made her a controversial public figure. Parton, meanwhile, had long supported the LGBTQ+ community.
Rowling was one of several celebrities who paid tribute to Parton following her passing. Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Jeff Bezos, Carol Burnett, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Eminem, Bill Clinton and Tim Cook also shared tributes. Fans and celebrities honored Parton for her music, kindness and generosity.
