"I can be grateful to her": Emma Watson tearfully breaks silence on strained relationship with JK Rowling

Emma Watson addressed years of speculation about her relationship with Harry Potter author JK Rowling in a detailed sit-down on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast on September 24, 2025. Emma Watson reaffirmed her support for trans people while stressing that “no one is disposable”. She stated,

"I can love her, she can love me, i can be grateful,"

framing gratitude and disagreement as compatible truths. She also said she can “love” Rowling and be “grateful to her” while lamenting that the direct conversation she hoped for never happened. The episode is available on all major platforms, including iHeart, and the YouTube upload crossed four hundred thousand views within hours of release.

For fans who have watched Emma Watson evolve from Harry Potter to a quieter period of study and writing, this was her clearest public explanation of where she stands and why it took time to speak. The On Purpose episode runs 2 hours 38 minutes, and the YouTube upload has about 670,000 views as of September 25 2025.

“There is just no world in which I could ever cancel her out”: Emma Watson’s nuanced stance on JK Rowling

Emma Watson used On Purpose to reframe how she sees Rowling and the debate around her. As per Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast dated September 24, 2025, Emma Watson said,

“There is just no world in which I could ever cancel her out,”

On Purpose, Emma Watson frames her position on JK Rowling clearly. A stance that holds gratitude alongside disagreement, and asks the audience to see the complexity, stating,

"can both still be true and , I can love her. I can know she loved me. I can be grateful to her. I can know the things that she said are true and there can be this whole other thing and, my job feels like to just hold just to hold all of it."

Watson further stated,

“um you know how can I there's just no world in which could ever cancel her out or cancel that out, for anything. It It has to remain true. It is true.”

and added that,

“no one is no no one's disposable. Mhm. And everyone as far as possible, whatever the conversation is, should and can be treated with at the very least dignity and respect.”   

The same podcast underscores that Emma Watson is not disowning their shared history while remaining explicit about her values. The disagreement is not new. On June 11, 2020, Emma Watson publicly supported trans people on X, writing,

“Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are.”

That message remains central to how she frames the current moment. Why this is newsworthy now is the timing. On April 10, 2024, after the publication of the Cass Review triggered fresh online battles, Rowling replied to a user predicting public apologies from Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson by posting,

“Not safe, I'm afraid. Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women's hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces.”

Coverage of that exchange noted how it hardened perceptions of a rift in the fandom.

What Rowling said: As per her own posts, it is clear in the public record. On June 7, 2020, X post she mocked gender inclusive language with “people who menstruate,” a formulation that drew criticism from LGBTQ groups and widened the split with parts of the Harry Potter audience. Her language dismissed trans identities and misrepresented inclusive healthcare, she stated,

"‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud? Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate"

Emma Watson emphasized tone and process rather than feud. In the exclusive podcast uploaded on Jay Shetty's YouTube channel, Emma Watson remarked that she believes in relationships and dignity and that gratitude can exist with disagreement. The quote “no one is disposable,” noting her focus on dialogue rather than public shaming.

Stay tuned for more updates.