J.K. Rowling Fires Back After Critic Says ‘It Should’ve Been You’ on Her Dolly Parton Tribute

J.K. Rowling fired back after a critic commented, “It should have been you,” on her tribute to Dolly Parton, calling out the post for publicly “wishing death” on her. Earlier on Tuesday, the “Harry Potter” author, whose anti-trans views have made her a controversial figure, took to X to pay tribute to the late country legend, who died at 80 following a brief battle with cancer. Like many in the industry, Rowling had nothing but praise for the singer, actress and philanthropist, writing, “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library was the best contribution to child literacy ever made by a celebrity. Our paths crossed once, in the ’90s, backstage at a talk show, and I was completely tongue-tied and starstruck. RIP Dolly. You were a complete, irreplaceable one-off.” However, given Parton’s prior status as a devoted advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, many on X took umbrage with Rowling’s message about the “9 to 5” star. One scathing response appeared to catch Rowling’s attention, as she shared the comment with her followers: “It should have been you.” “Top tips for wishing death on people in public,” the author wrote alongside a screenshot of the critic’s message. “Blocking the target is useless if you’ve signposted your real name and university in your bio.” This wasn’t the only negative comment Rowling called out on X, however. For instance, one user wrote on Tuesday, “You know you and Dolly have nothing to agree upon, you f–king monster.” To which Rowling replied, “Well, joke’s on you, because neither of us want Jolene to take our man,” referencing Parton’s 1973 anthem. Additionally, after a different X user tried to suggest that Parton was a supporter of Donald Trump, Rowling hit back with, “Oh, do f–k off. At a conservative estimate, Dolly Parton was 100,000x the person you are.” Rowling was far from the only celebrity to pay tribute to Parton on Tuesday. The country superstar saw tributes from across industries, receiving heartfelt homages from the likes of Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Jeff Bezos, Carol Burnett, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Eminem, Bill Clinton and Tim Cook. Across the many tributes, Parton was remembered as a remarkable talent, generous spirit and dedicated friend.