It looks like ‘Saturday Night Live‘ just lit a fresh fire under the ongoing J.K. Rowling controversy, and they did it with one of their cheekiest sketches yet. The Season 51 premiere took a direct aim at the ‘Harry Potter‘ author, whose recent spat with Emma Watson over trans rights had already stirred plenty of drama.
But this time, the one in the hot seat was not a wizard or a witch, but Dobby the House Elf. Next came a five-minute absurd humor and commentary, which became one of the most talked-about performances of the night.
J.K. Rowling Vs Emma Watson Controversy
It all began when Watson, during a recent interview, chose not to defend Rowling’s controversial views on transgender rights. That decision didn’t sit well with the author, and Rowling wasted no time in letting the world know. In a fiery post on X, the 60-year-old author took a sharp jab at Emma, claiming that those “who’ve never experienced adult life uncushioned by wealth and fame” have “so little experience of real life they’re ignorant of how ignorant they are.”
Rowling then accused Watson of softening her tone for appearance’s sake, writing that if Emma hadn’t recently “decided to declare that she loves and treasures me, a change of tack I suspect she’s adopted because she’s noticed that full-throated condemnation of me is no longer quite as fashionable as it was,” she might never have been so brutally honest.
But Rowling wasn’t done with that. She made sure to add a final note that Emma had every right to disagree with her publicly, but she, too, had “the same right” and had “finally decided to exercise it.”
As expected, fans started picking sides, and suddenly, Rowling’s name was trending again. So, when ‘Saturday Night Live‘ returned for its big premiere, it didn’t take long before they turned that headline-making tension into pure comedy.
Dobby’s Big Moment On SNL “Weekend Update”
In the Season 51 opener, hosted by Bad Bunny, ‘SNL‘ regular Bowen Yang made his entrance dressed as Dobby the House Elf, instantly getting the audience howling with laughter. Appearing during the “Weekend Update” segment alongside anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost, Yang’s Dobby nervously explained that his “Master” had sent him on television “to define once and for all what a woman is.”
The moment Che asked who this mysterious master was, Dobby blurted out, “Master Rowling!” before panicking and slamming his head on the desk. “Oh, no! Dobby wasn’t supposed to say! Bad Dobby, bad Dobby, bad Dobby!” he shouted, banging his head repeatedly as the crowd roared.
That wasn’t the end of it. Amid the chaos, Yang’s costume started to fall apart, prompting him to laugh and add, “Oh, Dobby’s come undone. I’m sorry! My fatigues are not well-made!” But the sketch soon grabbed more attention. Dobby, trying to defend his “Master,” told the audience, “Master Rowling has done so much for Dobby and for inclusion in general.“
The Shocking Showstopper
Dobby then started giving examples, “Remember when Dumbledore was gay after the books came out, and when Hermione was Black only on Broadway! And when Cho Chang was… was Cho Chang Asian? Dobby can’t remember if the character named ‘Cho Chang’ was Asian or not.“
After his list of awkward examples, Yang’s Dobby declared himself as “Millennial cringe” and then dramatically ran toward the audience and began smacking his head against the camera. A confused Michael Che asked, “Dobby, why do you keep hurting yourself?” The reply was darkly hilarious, “Why? Dobby doesn’t know. Perhaps because house elves are somehow always the problem, even though we’re only 1% of the population. But house elves aren’t the victims. Master Rowling is. She gets so much hate mail.“
In case you missed it: Top 10 Plot Twists In ‘Harry Potter’
By this time, it was clear that Rowling’s ongoing victim card had become part of her public image. Then came one final punch. Dobby pulled out a T-shirt featuring Rowling’s face, printed with the words, “They. K. Rowling.” Colin Jost then declared, “You’re free, Dobby. You’ve read the books!” as we saw Dobby jump in joy, celebrating his newfound “freedom” from his master.
As soon as the episode aired, the internet exploded. The sketch instantly went viral, and as expected, it invited the usual cultural tug-of-war: half the internet praised ‘SNL‘ for its bold humor. At the same time, the other half accused it of being unnecessarily cruel. But for ‘Saturday Night Live,’ that’s the sweet spot. Whether people laughed, cringed, or rolled their eyes, it was successful in its job. By the next day, everyone was talking about the same person, J.K. Rowling. So, the conversation isn’t dying out anytime soon.
