JK Rowling reveals Moaning Myrtle's full name on Twitter and it instantly backfires
Fans connect Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren to the beloved character
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The power JK Rowling wields on Twitter is unfathomable. In just 140 characters she has caused almost as much political controversy as Ed Milliband going to Ibiza. Amongst Harry Potter fans, at least.
The author was innocently messaged by a fan, @HotmHayles, on Twitter, who asked “What was Moaning Myrtle's full name? My Dad asked me and I have no idea- I did some research but couldn't find anything”.
In response to Hayles - and Twitter user @LankyTwat for some reason - Rowling confirmed that “Moaning Myrtle's full name was Myrtle Elizabeth Warren”, not thinking twice about it.
However, fans were quick to notice the similarity between Myrtle's new name and that of US Senator Elizabeth Warren’s.
The tweet soon went viral, with Rowling resorting to more tweeting in order to clarify that she had not named the beloved character after the Massachusetts senator, but instead chosen a “classic British middle name”.
While the multimillionaire author may have strong political ties elsewhere, it seems that her naming of the unfortunate ghost was only coincidently similar to Warren's.
In recent days, Rowling’s often sparse Twitter account has been very active: she's been putting down ‘bullies’ left, right and centre, as well as tweeting at herself.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments