“Sad and childish”: Kirstie Allsopp calls out JK Rowling in trans rights row

A public clash between television presenter Kirstie Allsopp and JK Rowling has intensified, after Allsopp denounced the novelist’s latest social‑media behaviour towards a trans woman as “sad and childish”.

The current row began when Rowling publicly posted a screenshot showing she had been blocked by trans broadcaster India Willoughby. Accompanying the screenshot was a triumphant caption suggesting that persistence had paid off: “They said I couldn’t do it… never give up on your dreams.” This was widely interpreted by critics, including Allsopp, as an act of goading a trans woman rather than engaging constructively on issues affecting the trans community.

Allsopp swiftly responded, condemning the tone of Rowling’s post by calling it “sad and childish”. She stressed that at a moment when the world is marked by widespread suffering, conflict, and social division, such behaviour from a globally influential author was “very depressing”.

Calling her a man makes you a bully. It’s not complicated, it’s about good manners. But so many people who have engaged in this debate do it, and they do it very deliberately.

— Kirstie Allsopp (@KirstieMAllsopp) January 20, 2026

In further replies, Allsopp pushed back against Rowling’s supporters, many of whom were misgendering India Willoughby. She stated plainly: “Calling her a man makes you a bully. It’s not complicated, it’s about good manners.”

Allsopp added that referring to a trans woman as “him” is never humorous and serves only to dehumanise. Her interventions positioned respect for trans identities as a minimum standard of public behaviour, particularly for those with large online followings. 

“As soon as you call a trans woman a man,” she wrote, “you reveal yourself as someone who has no sympathy for trans people.”

This latest dispute builds on Allsopp’s established record of defending trans people against online hostility. Over recent years, she has repeatedly spoken out against cyberbullying directed at trans public figures and insisted that civil discussion is both possible and necessary.

Allsopp’s criticism of Rowling this week also included an accusation that the bestselling author was “rolling in the dirt” by choosing to provoke rather than promote dialogue. She concluded her remarks with a pointed assessment: “I just don’t like bullies.”