Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Jon Stewart Slams JK Rowling For Using 'Antisemitic' Caricatures As Goblin Bankers In 'Harry Potter'

Jon Stewart Slams JK Rowling For Using 'Antisemitic' Caricatures As Goblin Bankers In 'Harry Potter'
Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images; Warner Bros. Pictures

Jon Stewart blasted J.K. Rowling for using "antisemitic" caricatures and tropes in the goblin banker characters in her Harry Potter books and movies.

Stewart made the comments on his podcast The Problem with Jon Stewart. He contended Rowling used inspiration from the antisemitic book The Protocols of the Elders of Zion to create the goblins who run the Gringotts Wizarding Bank.


Stewart said:

"Here's how you know Jews are still where they are."

Rafael Shimunov—an activist and artist—shared a clip from Stewart's podcast on Twitter.

Stewart added how rare it is to find a Harry Potter fan who notices the antisemitic caricatures.

Stewart continued:

"I just want to show you a caricature."
"And they're like, 'Oh, look at that, that's from Harry Potter!'"
"And you're like, 'No, that's a caricature of a Jew from an antisemitic piece of literature'."
"J.K. Rowling was like, 'Can we get these guys to run our bank?'"

Stewart also recalled the moment he saw Gringotts goblins in the theater.

"It was one of those things where I saw it on the screen and I was expecting the crowd to be like, 'Holy sh*t! She did not, in a wizarding world, just throw Jews in there to run the f*cking underground bank.'"
"And everybody was just like, 'Wizards.' It was so weird."

Stewart however did not call Rowling antisemitic which many people made clear.

In the books and the movies, the goblins are depicted as being "short and fair-skinned, as they spent very little time outside. They had very long fingers and feet, dome-shaped heads and were slightly larger than house-elves."

They were also said to be very good with money and finances and controlled the wizarding world's banking system. They were also described as "secretive, cunning, and having a different perception of wealth and ownership than humans."

Shimunov pointed out he called out Rowling in 2018 for the "side locks" on some of the goblins and 6 pointed stars around the bank resembling the "Jewish star."


Shimunov added antisemites had no trouble recognizing the referenced stereotypes and cultural symbols.


He added more context as well.




He also responded to the pushback from Rowling's defenders.


As Shimunov pointed out, Stewart is not the first to point out antisemitism and racist stereotypes in Rowling's works.

Asian, Black and Indigenous North Americans took exception to Rowling's depiction of their communities and cultures when her books and films first gained attention.













As many pointed out, people of color raised objections to Rowling's use of racist stereotypes when her novels and world building was first published and publicized.




While the recent HBO Max 20th anniversary reunion of stars from the Harry Potter films proved people still love the main characters and actors, the author and the rest of her imagined worlds and her real world opinions are being increasingly flagged as problematic.

What effect this has on the longterm legacy of Harry Potter remains to be seen.

More from Trending

Hillary Clinton
Kimberly White/Getty Images for Common Sense Media

Hillary Clinton Has Iconic Reaction To Trump Administration's 'Atlantic' Text Scandal

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had a succinct response after Jeffrey Goldberg—the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic—revealed he was invited into a Signal chat with high-level Trump administration officials discussing military strategy surrounding their war strikes in Yemen.

Goldberg revealed a highly unusual and concerning situation where senior Trump administration officials were allegedly discussing war plans over a group chat on Signal. Goldberg recounted that Representative Mike Waltz added him to an 18-person group chat, which he initially suspected was a hoax or disinformation campaign.

Keep ReadingShow less
Vivian Jenna Wilson; Elon Musk
@vivllainous/TikTok; Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Elon Musk's Trans Daughter Epically Claps Back After Musk Claims His Child 'Died'

Elon Musk's estranged trans daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, used an iconic soundbite from RuPaul's Drag Race to clap back at Musk's claim that his child had "died."

The SpaceX co-founder responded to a post on X (formerly Twitter) defending Musk for appearing to give the Nazi salute twice at Republican President Donald Trump's inauguration.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Mike Myers and Mark Carney
@MarkJCarney/X

Mike Myers Joins Canada's New Prime Minister For Epic Jab At Trump In Viral Video

Actor and comedian Mike Myers has gone viral after joining Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for a video message that mocks President Donald Trump and his plan to make Canada the 51st state of the United States.

In the Liberal Party skit, Mike Myers and Mark Carney—both dressed in red Canada jerseys—share a moment at a hockey practice. Carney starts off skeptical of Myers, questioning his Canadian credentials since he now lives in the United States, despite being born and raised in Canada.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pete Buttigieg
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Pete Buttigieg Drops F-Bombs After Trump Administration Invites Journalist Into High-Level Military Group Chat

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg passionately spoke out after Jeffrey Goldberg—the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic—revealed he was invited into a Signal chat with high-level Trump administration officials discussing military strategy surrounding their war strikes in Yemen.

Goldberg revealed a highly unusual and concerning situation where senior Trump administration officials were allegedly discussing war plans over a group chat on Signal. Goldberg recounted that Representative Mike Waltz added him to an 18-person group chat, which he initially suspected was a hoax or disinformation campaign.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump with Easter bunny at 2017 Easter egg roll
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Blasted After Turning Annual White House Easter Tradition Into Corporate Grift

President Donald Trump has sparked concerns from ethics experts after soliciting corporate sponsors for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.

Potential sponsors of the April 21 event were presented with three sponsorship options ranging from $75,000 to $200,000, according to a nine-page guide reviewed by The New York Times.

Keep ReadingShow less