‘SNL’ skewers JK Rowling with Dobby sketch amid trans rights controversy
– 1 min read
Saturday Night Live returned with a sharp-edged sketch that lampooned JK Rowling’s controversial stance on gender identity, using the beloved character Dobby the House Elf to deliver a pointed critique wrapped in comedy.
The segment aired during the show’s “Weekend Update” and featured cast member Bowen Yang dressed as Dobby, nervously announcing that his “master” had sent him to “define once and for all what a woman is.” When pressed, he admitted his master was none other than JK Rowling, immediately punishing himself in classic Dobby fashion by banging his head on the desk and crying, “Bad Dobby!”
The sketch cleverly referenced Rowling’s history of retroactive diversity claims, with Dobby sarcastically recalling: “Remember when Dumbledore was gay after the books came out? And when Hermione was Black, only on Broadway? And when Cho Chang was… hmm, was Cho Chang Asian? Dobby can’t remember.”
A wardrobe mishap added to the chaos, with Yang’s costume slipping off mid-performance. “Oh, Dobby’s come undone,” he quipped, drawing laughter from the audience and co-hosts.
The segment ended with Dobby holding up a T-shirt reading “They K. Rowling” — a play on the trope that gifting clothes frees house elves. Co-host Colin Jost responded, “Well, I guess you’re free now,” nodding to Harry Potter lore with a progressive twist.
The sketch aired amid renewed tensions between Rowling and Harry Potter star Emma Watson, who recently spoke out in support of trans rights. Rowling responded with a scathing post, calling Watson “ignorant of how ignorant she is.”
