Succession star Brian Cox has jumped to the defence of JK Rowling, blaming “cancel culture” for the public backlash against her explosive trans views.
The Harry Potter author faced fierce criticism in June when she hit out at inclusive language around menstruation. She later doubled down on her views in a lengthy essay posted to her own website that sent shockwaves through the LGBT+ community.
Criticism of Rowling intensified when her latest book, released under her Robert Galbraith pseudonym, included a cisgender serial killer that dresses up in women’s clothes to pursue his female victims.
Now, Cox has jumped to the author’s defence, saying her swift fall from grace can be blamed on “cancel culture”.
Succession star Brian Cox jumped to the defence of embattled author JK Rowling.
The Scottish actor, who has won acclaim for his role as Logan Roy on Succession, told Reader’s Digest that Rowling had said nothing wrong when she criticised trans-inclusive language around menstruation.
“I was asking my son because I’d been away when this JK Rowling thing had been going on,” Cox said.
Call something what it is, as opposed to something that you think it should be. And it is – it’s the cancel culture. I keep well away from it.
“I kept saying, ‘So what happened?’ He said, ‘Well, she believes women menstruate.’
“That’s what they do, don’t they? He said: ‘Well, people don’t like that,’ and you go ‘Oh, for Christ’s sake!’”
Cox added: “Call something what it is, as opposed to something that you think it should be. And it is – it’s the cancel culture. I keep well away from it.”
Rowling has topped the book charts, proving that she is not a victim of ‘cancel culture’.
Remarkably, Rowling’s book Troubled Blood topped the UK book charts in its first week, shifting 65,000 copies in just five days.
The news came as a surprise to the many trans people and LGBT+ activists who have been accused of “cancelling”, “censoring” and “silencing” Rowling in recent months.
Rowling broke her lengthy Twitter silence on Tuesday (22 September) to promote a t-shirt bearing the slogan “This Witch Doesn’t Burn” in response to backlash against her latest book.
The author bought the t-shirt from an online store that also sells “gender critical feminist” merch bearing slogans such as “F**k your pronouns, “don’t call me ‘cis’”, and “Trans ideology erases women”.