Waving the cancelling wand: Harry Potter fans and the cancellation of J.K. Rowling

The “cancelling” of celebrities is typically understood as a stark, immediate withdrawal of support. However, what happens when cancellation intersects with fandom, known to endure long after artists disappear from the mainstream? This study examines how Harry Potter fans navigated anti-transgender statements made by author J.K. Rowling. Drawing on a 2022 survey posted on Tumblr, qualitative analysis of free-text responses reveals four thematic categories of fan reactions: “Deplatform and Disregard,” indicating fans who stopped financially supporting and amplifying Rowling; “Cultural (Re)Engagement and Perceptions,” highlighting fans who revisited the series with a new awareness of implicit biases; “Personal and Group Consequences,” describing fans who felt uncomfortable publicly displaying their fandom or left it altogether; and “Discomfort,” regarding fans expressing merely disappointment or revulsion towards Rowling. These findings expand the narrow view that cancellation is a straightforward reaction to problematic behaviours, showing that fans must engage in what we call “detachment labour” to disentangle themselves when cancelling a celebrity.