Stephen King playfully attempted to correct fellow author J.K. Rowling, as the two had an expletive-riddled social media exchange about her feelings on being labeled a "transphobe."
Harry Potter writer Rowling—who has faced backlash over her comments about transgender people for around five years—addressed the ongoing criticism she has received in a post shared on X, formerly Twitter, late on Wednesday.
"Amazed this still needs saying, but some don't seem to have got the memo," she wrote. "If calling me 'transphobe' and 'fascist' was going to scare me out of speaking up for women's rights, it would have happened years ago. Whatever the square root of not giving a f*** is, that's where I am."
Responding to the post, which as of press time had garnered more than 3 million views, King flexed his mathematic muscle as he suggested that Rowling would perhaps need to use a different calculation to represent her feelings.
"I think you may mean 'not giving a fuck squared,'" he stated. "The square root, I believe, would mean a *smaller* amount of giving a f***. I could be wrong."
On Thursday morning, Rowling playfully stood her ground in response to King's correction, which was viewed more than 500,000 times in the hours after it was posted.
"But I was going for a fraction of a f***," Rowling wrote to King. "I barely give a tenth of a f***. So I stand by my square root. What we really need here is a certified f***ologist."
As King is known to regularly use his platform to weigh in on political issues, some fans questioned the nature of his exchange with Rowling.
"Is he calling her out? I can't tell," one X user asked, prompting the It author to respond: "I'm not."
Rowling stirred controversy in 2019 when she publicly supported Maya Forstater, a U.K. tax specialist who was fired over tweets that were deemed to be anti-trans.
In an essay published on her personal website in June 2020, Rowling shared some of her views on transgender issues.
She wrote: "When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he's a woman—and, as I've said, gender confirmation certificates may now be granted without any need for surgery or hormones—then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside. That is the simple truth."
Also in June 2020, Rowling reacted to an article that referred to "people who menstruate," writing on X: "I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?"
While some trans activists branded Rowling a "TERF"—an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist—she stood her ground on the issue.
Rowling stated on X at the time: "If sex isn't real, there's no same-sex attraction. If sex isn't real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn't hate to speak the truth.
"I respect every trans person's right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them. I'd march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it's hateful to say so."
Several actors associated with the Harry Potter franchise have publicly disagreed with her, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.
In July 2021, Rowling stated on Twitter that she had received a "pipebomb" threat amid an onslaught of attacks over her previous statements about trans women.
She has continued to speak out about the way that the internet has "canceled" her, tweeting in support of singer Macy Gray, who in July 2022 faced her own round of backlash after commenting on the definition of a woman during an interview.
Gray faced criticism on X, prompting Rowling to write in response: "Endless death and rape threats, threats of loss of livelihood, employers targeted, physical harassment, family address posted online with picture of bomb-making manual aren't 'mean comments.' If you don't yet understand what happens to women who stand up on this issue, back off."
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