J.K. Rowling Under Fire For Publicly Thanking, Hiring “Canceled” Actor Accused of Domestic Violence

in Entertainment, Harry Potter, Video Games

Hogwarts castle at night in 'Hogwarts Legacy'

Credit: Avalanche Software / Warner Bros.

The Wizarding World can’t escape controversy as J.K. Rowling celebrates the release of Hogwarts Legacy, an open-world Harry Potter video game on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. Fierce debate and boycotts of the game come months after Warner Bros. announced uncertainty about the future of the Fantastic Beasts franchise.

Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, recently thanked voice actor Greg Ellis for his work on Hogwarts Legacy on Twitter:

Working on #HogwartsLegacy for the last 3 years has been an absolute pleasure.

Thank you @jk_rowling for your vivid and wonderful imagination—and for illuminating the lives of children and adults the world over with your fantastical stories.

Thank you, Greg ❤️⚡️

Though it seemed an innocuous conversation, Rowling and Ellis have previously been critiqued for transphobic views. They consider themselves part of the “gender critical” movement.

Ellis, an Emmy Award nominee, has written multiple tweets accusing women of lying about sexual assault. The game in question, Hogwarts Legacy, is accused of containing antisemitic tropes.

Hogwarts Legacy Harry Potter game Sirona Ryans at the Three Broomsticks
Credit: Warner Bros.

Twitter users quickly condemned the positive interaction between the two. @bittergertrude wrote:

So lemme get this straight: Hogwarts Legacy is licensed from Queen TERF of TERF Island Lead dev Troy Leavitt was a Gamergater & ran an anti-“woke” YouTube He worked tirelessly to further JK’s antisemitic goblin tropes He hired Greg “Women Lie abt Sexual Assault” Ellis (1/3)

Ellis ruined his AAA game voice acting career by airing his reprehensible views, attacking devs, & making a cringe IP violation video insisting *in his character’s voice* that “his voice actor” was being “cancelled,” so anyone who hires him now is making a clear statement (2/3)

JK publicly thanked Greg “Women are liars” Ellis for his work on her game Jesus RuPaul Christ This game is a whole mess

Troy Leavitt left Hogwarts Legacy after YouTube videos resurfaced of the developer defending the GamerGate movement, a misogynistic harassment campaign against feminism and diversity in video games. But not before hiring Ellis.

“Her allies are looking more like her fictional villains and she’s okay with that,” wrote @Melzcanhastweet.

In addition to controversial tweets, Ellis’s problems extend to the real world. His ex-wife filed for an order of protection against him in 2015 because she feared he would harm her or their children. He was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric ward because doctors considered him a danger to himself and others.

Owl in Hogwarts Legacy
Credit: Warner Bros. (via Hogwarts Legacy YouTube)

The disgraced voice actor played a significant role in the latest installment in the Harry Potter franchise. Ellis voiced more than twelve characters in Hogwarts Legacy:

I voiced at least 12 characters for #HogwartLegacy
Kudos to any gamers out there who can spot which ones…? 🧙🏼‍♂️

From Warner Bros Games and Avalanche Software, Hogwarts Legacy takes Harry Potter fans back to the 1800s at Forbidden ForestHogsmeade Village, Diagon Alley, and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Are you playing Hogwarts Legacy? Share your thoughts on the controversy around the game with Inside the Magic in the comments. 

 

 

 

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