Dawn French has sparked a backlash on social media following her appearance on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, where she suggested JK Rowling had “made mistakes” without elaborating on what those errors actually were.
The comedian’s comments prompted criticism from users on X, with one writing: “@Dawn_French claims @jk_rowling has ‘made mistakes’ but doesn’t elaborate on what these ‘mistakes’ are.”
Another user dismissed the interview as “an awful lot of words to avoid really saying anything.”
Further responses included accusations of hypocrisy and descriptions of Ms French as a “typical elitist, disappointment.”
Dawn French praised JK Rowling but also stated the author had ‘made mistakes’
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FEARNE COTTON’S HAPPY PLACE YOUTUBE
One critic questioned whether French was “forming opinions about things she doesn’t know about,” while another simply declared they would not be watching the podcast.
During the podcast conversation, Ms French described an encounter with another podcaster who refused to discuss Ms Rowling, telling her the Harry Potter author had used unacceptable terminology.
When Ms French admitted she was unfamiliar with the term in question, she said the host responded dismissively.
“You need to catch up, Dawn. You need to catch up. People can’t be constantly teaching you how to be because this is not ok, and you need to catch up,” Ms French recalled being told.
Dawn French was blasted on social media for her comments about JK Rowling
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X
The comedian said she left the recording questioning whether she did indeed need to educate herself, but expressed frustration at the approach taken.
“I do need to catch up, and that is true, but I also need to be taught. I need to learn,” she said, adding: “Please inform me and explain this to me so that I can understand it and not make this mistake again. But don’t tell me to catch up.”
Ms French went on to praise The Witch Trials of JK Rowling podcast, calling it “one of the best podcasts I’ve ever listened to in my life.”
She highlighted the presenter’s unique perspective, noting the host had previously been part of the Westboro Baptist Church, which she described as “the most hated family that Louis Theroux interviewed.”
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She highlighted the presenter’s unique perspective, noting the host had previously been part of the Westboro Baptist Church, which she described as “the most hated family that Louis Theroux interviewed.”
Ms French said this background made the presenter particularly suited to the subject matter because “she understands hate” and has openly acknowledged her own past errors.
Discussing Ms Rowling herself, Ms French offered a nuanced assessment, describing her as someone “who made her mistakes, but who is also a very good person with a remarkable history of all kinds of things and has paid a huge price.”
She concluded that “robust debate would help us all” in such situations.
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Social media users were quick to criticise French for her vague remarks about Ms Rowling, with several pointing to the comedian’s own controversial past statements.
Someone else branded Ms French “a hypocrite,” with another adding: “I’ll tell you who else has made mistakes,” along with a screengrab of an article about Ms French’s apology for her remarks about October 7.
Others labelled her a “hypocrite” and expressed disappointment in the comedian.
Ms Cotton, for her part, agreed with Ms French’s broader point about the pressure to have opinions on everything, saying: “We can’t know everything.
“There’s loads of moments where I go, ‘I don’t know,’ and that’s become another thing. It’s almost like you are not allowed to say I don’t know anymore.”