J.K. Rowling had the perfect response after a critic crossed the line on her Dolly Parton tribute. The Harry Potter author fired back at multiple X users who attacked her heartfelt message honoring the late country legend.
J. K. Rowling responds after her Dolly Parton tribute drew criticism
J.K. Rowling responded on X (formerly Twitter) after critics attacked her tribute to Dolly Parton. Rowling had praised the late country legend following her death at 80 from cancer.
She wrote, “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library was the best contribution to child literacy ever made by a celebrity.” Rowling added, “Our paths crossed once, in the ’90s, backstage at a talk show, and I was completely tongue-tied and starstruck.” She concluded, “RIP Dolly. You were a complete, irreplaceable one-off.”
Many X users criticized Rowling’s tribute given Parton’s advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community. Rowling’s allegedly anti-trans views have made her a controversial figure in recent years. One critic responded to the tribute by writing, “It should have been you.”
Rowling then shared that comment with her followers and fired back directly. She wrote, “Top tips for wishing death on people in public, @b4byfirefly.” She continued, “Blocking the target is useless if you’ve signposted your real name and university in your bio.” The critic subsequently locked their account after Rowling’s response gained traction.
Rowling also addressed other negative replies to her Parton tribute on X. One user wrote, “You know you and Dolly have nothing to agree upon, you f—ing monster.” Rowling replied, “Well, joke’s on you, because neither of us want Jolene to take our man.”
She referenced Parton’s 1973 anthem in her response. Another user tried suggesting Parton was a Donald Trump supporter. Rowling responded, “Oh, do f— off. At a conservative estimate, Dolly Parton was 100,000x the person you are.”
Rowling was far from the only celebrity to honor Parton on Tuesday. Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Jeff Bezos, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin also paid tribute. Parton was widely remembered as a remarkable talent and generous spirit.
