JK Rowling's ex-husband's interview in The Sun called 'disgusting', fans say 'they lied about Johnny Depp'
JK Rowling's name has been marred with controversies and scandals in the past few days. The author of 'Harry Potter' was slammed for her homophobic comments over trans women and then she wrote a personal blog to explain how and why she came to a conclusion regarding her stance on "an issue surrounded by toxicity".
Following the turmoil, Rowling shed light on the abuse she faced in her first marriage, saying: "I've been in the public eye now for over twenty years and have never talked publicly about being a domestic abuse and sexual assault survivor." Soon after, her abusive first husband admitted that he slapped her but said he does not feel any regret. Jorge Arantes, 52, said he isn't sorry for having assaulted Rowling and had not even bothered to read the accusations of domestic abuse made by her. He said, "I slapped Joanne — but there was not sustained abuse. I'm not sorry for slapping her."
The front-page interview on The Sun drew much backlash and criticism from her fans as well as people who "don't like her". "The fact that JK Rowling’s ex abusing husband is exploiting the hate she’s recently getting (and rightly so — when it doesn’t come in the shame of misogynistic slurs) to be the hero of the story when he’s the villain is disgusting," one tweet read and another said, "It is literally beyond belief to me that, in the face of her transphobia and powerful voice and how she uses it, The Sun chose to hunt down JK Rowling’s abusive ex-husband instead of like. A trans person affected by her hateful crusade."
One said, "Don't get me wrong I don’t like JK Rowling but the Sun enabled her abusive ex-husband to glorify his abuse against her on the front page. I am truly horrified." Another Twitter user posted, "How not to write about domestic abuse, part 234: The Sun's front-page headline in which the first husband of JK Rowling brags about 'slapping' her and says he isn't sorry. Trivializing an assault as 'a slap' is what abusers do — and denies reality for victims."
Some people want Rowling to sue the publication. Highlighting how they empowered domestic abusers, one tweet said, "JK Rowling may have f***ed up on transgender issues but it’s no excuse for the scum to be giving a platform to her 1st husband to admit that he, 'slapped JK and I’m not sorry'. Empowering domestic abusers in order to sell a few newspapers is f***ing reprehensible!" Another posted, "I'm not going to share The Sun's front page. They lied about Johnny Depp being an abuser and now they are glorifying JK Rowling's abusive ex-husband. Shame on them! Shame on anyone who works for The Scum! I hope JK sues!"
Many came to Rowling's defense. "The message I'm getting from these hypocrites is 'It’s ok to punch JK Rowling, just as long as you’re not her husband'," one posted and another one said, "Anyone dismissing the violence.@jk_rowling suffered at the hands of her husband with the response 'rich white woman' A. She was impoverished at the time B. Is it OK for rich white women to be physically & psychologically abused by their spouse? Really? #IStandWithJKRowling."