FACT CHECK: No, J.K. Rowling Did Not Thank The LGBTQ Community For Hogwarts Legacy Sales
An image shared on social media purportedly shows a screenshot of a J.K. Rowling tweet thanking the LGBTQ community for the sales of the new video game, “Hogwarts Legacy.”
She really tweeted this pic.twitter.com/dGuLD92N8B
— 💛Toxic Voxix🖤 (@Stonerwiseguy) February 27, 2023
Verdict: False
The claim stems from a satirical account. There is no evidence that Rowling made this statement.
Fact Check:
The release of “Hogwarts Legacy” marks the biggest sales for a Warner Bros. Discovery-owned brand with $850 million in sales in just the first two weeks, Variety reported. These sales come after “Harry Potter” author Rowling came under years-long scrutiny for her stance against the transgender movement, the outlet reported.
The Twitter post purports that Rowling credited the LGBTQIA+ boycott of the video game for the record sales. The alleged Tweet is in response to The Game Awards announcing the sales. “My thanks to the LGBTQ community,” the alleged tweet reads. “If it wasn’t for your ‘boycott’ sales wouldn’t have been anywhere near this impressive.”
The caption is inaccurate. The tweet appears to have originated on Reddit thread. A moderator of the chat confirmed in the comments that it is a parody saying, “This is obvious satire but I suppose I have say it :/ This tweet is fake don’t believe everything you see on the internet.”
There is no credible news report that suggests this was an authentic tweet from Rowling verified Twitter account. Furthermore, there is no record of this tweet on Rowling’s verified Twitter account or other archives of the profile. (RELATED: Did Glenn Youngkin Clear The Way For Police To Seek Menstrual Histories?)
Several outlets did report that the boycott of the game only garnered it more attention. Morning Brew suggested the boycott was “jinxed” and Newsweek dubbed the boycott a “failure.”
This is not the first time a satirical post has been shared online as real. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim that the U.K. Home Office is in search of twin girls that have joined the war in Ukraine.
