Often the topic of controversy for her inflammatory comments, author J.K. Rowling is showing a more vulnerable side of herself, revealing that her ex-husband tried to sabotage her Harry Potter franchise.
Rowling used the inaugural episodes of her “The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling” podcast to explain how her previous marriage was extremely hostile. Speaking with host Megan Phelps-Roper, Rowling shared that her first husband, Jorge Arantes held her prized Harry Potter manuscript “hostage” to prevent her from leaving him. Arantes concealed it, despite knowing how much she had riding on the Harry Potter story. Rowling began taking a few pages at a time to work with her and photocopy them to preserve her work at all costs. The now 57-year-old said she left her former spouse twice during their three-year marriage before separating for good in 1995.
Even more unsettling, Rowling described an increasingly volatile relationship that was “very violent” and “very controlling.” At one point, Arantes wouldn’t allow her to have a key to their home due to his possessive nature. She claimed that he’d search her bag any time she returned home. Once she finally divorced him, he would appear at places she’d be, including the home she shared with her daughter.
“It was a horrible state of tension to live in because you have to act, and I don’t think I’m a very good actor,” Rowling admitted.
The first two episodes of “The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling” podcast have set the stage for what is sure to be a transparent look into the author’s illustrious career and immense backlash. Rowling has made multiple anti-trans comments. In 2018, she made headlines for referring to transwomen as “men in dresses.” Several comments would follow in interviews and on social media, leaving Rowling in the hot seat each time. While neither Phelps-Roper nor Rowling directly addressed her transphobic rhetoric in the first episodes, they likely will.
