Jon Stewart, who recently criticized JK Rowling for the goblins running the Gringotts Bank in his Harry Potter film series, said he did not accuse the author of being anti-Semitic and that people should “have a appalling hold ”.
“I can’t stress this enough – I’m not accusing JK Rowling of being anti-Semitic,” Stewart said in a video shared on Twitter Wednesday in an attempt to end the drama surrounding his comments.
“She doesn’t need to answer anything. I don’t want the Harry Potter movies to be censored in any way. It was a light conversation. Get a terrible grip! “
The former host of The Daily Show raised the question on the Dec. 16 episode of his podcast, The Problem with Jon Stewart.
Stewart, who is Jewish, wondered why Rowling chose to “throw Jews in there to run the fucking underground bank” in a fictional world where people “can ride dragons and have pet owls.” He was referring to the fictitious Gringotts bank from the book and movie series, staffed with goblins.
However, Potter fans were quick to come to the author’s defense, pointing to his recent criticisms of anti-Semitism. A Jewish charity also claimed Rowling was “very supportive” of the religious community.
Jon Stewart (pictured Wednesday), who recently criticized JK Rowling for the goblins running the Gringotts Bank in his Harry Potter film series, says he hasn’t actually accused the author of being anti-Semitic and that the people have to ‘laugh at *** ing grip’
On Wednesday, Stewart attempted to clarify what he said was part of a “light conversation.”
The podcaster claimed to “love the Harry Potter movies” and said the accusations that Rowling is Semitic are “bonkers”.
‘I have to sort this out. This is crazy guys, ”he said in his social media video. “I don’t think JK Rowling is anti-Semitic. I did not accuse her of being anti-Semitic. I don’t think the Harry Potter films are anti-Semitic. ‘
He added: “I really like the Harry Potter movies, probably too much for a man of my considerable age.”
Stewart said he loved the Harry Potter movies and “didn’t accuse JK Rowling (pictured) of being anti-Semitic”
Stewart, 59, said last month that the goblin banker characters were based on caricatures of Jews from The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, an infamous anti-Semitic text that purports to show a Jewish plan for world domination.
“This is how you know the Jews are always where they are,” Stewart said in the episode before lamenting the reluctance of those he spoke to to recognize the resemblance.
“I just want to show you a cartoon. And they’re like, “Oh, look at this, this is from Harry Potter!” And you’re like, “No, it’s a caricature of a Jew from an anti-Semitic book.” JK Rowling thought, ‘Can we get these guys to run our bank?’ ‘
When he first saw the Harry Potter films, Stewart said he expected other customers in the theater to “be like” shit, she didn’t, in a Wizarding World, to just throw Jews in there to run the fucking underground bank. “And everyone was like” wizards. ”
The comedian now claims’no reasonable person would have heard these comments and assumed they were serious.
“There is no reasonable person who could have looked at it and not seen it as a cheerful conversation between coworkers and pals, having a larf, having fun about Harry Potter – my experience of watching it for the first time.” in a theater as a Jewish dude, and how certain tropes are so ingrained in society that they’re basically invisible even in a thoughtful process like making movies, ”Stewart said Wednesday.
Stewart called the goblins an obvious anti-Semitic trope and asked why more people hadn’t done the same (photo is a pic from the first Harry Potter film)
The comedian now claims that “no reasonable person” would have heard these comments and assumed they were serious (Pictured: a goblin from the first Harry Potter film)
“We did this a month ago, like two COVID mutations ago, back when we were still in Beta world or wherever we are, that was a month ago. This morning I wake up and it’s trending on Twitter and here is the headline from Newsweek: “Jon Stewart accuses JK Rowling of anti-Semitism”.
He continued, “Let me say it as clearly as possible. My name is Jon Stewart. I don’t think JK Rowling is anti-Semitic. I haven’t accused her of being anti-Semitic. None of this is. is right.
Stewart then slammed Newsweek, calling their business model “bloody arson” and being part of the problem with the media.
“Let me say this to Newsweek – Your business model is fucking arson and the wrong one,” he said.
“The kind of arson where you’re on the mountain and you’ve got five fucking minutes and you don’t know where the dogs are.” It’s your business model and now all the ridiculously out of context silliness that you are out there.
Stewart slammed Newsweek – which ran an article alleging it branded Rowling an anti-Semite – called their business model “f *** ing arson” (Picture: Tweet Stewart posted Wednesday)
Stewart (center, pictured in the social media video) reiterated Wednesday, “Let me say it as clearly as possible. My name is Jon Stewart. I don’t think JK Rowling is anti-Semitic. I don’t. have not accused of being anti-Semitic. None of this is true ‘
The podcaster’s “light” remarks drew a reaction from fans and members of the Jewish community.
Actress Sarah Silverman was one of the first to raise the controversy, although she said she had not read the books or seen the movies.
“After watching below and seeing the clip in the thread, I’m just a little stunned. You know when you laugh but it’s really more fear than joy? ‘ she wrote on Twitter.
Dave Rich, policy director for the Jewish charity Community Security Trust, told MailOnline that Rowling had been “very supportive” of the Jewish community.
He said: “JK Rowling has been very supportive of the Jewish community in recent years and has tweeted repeatedly against anti-Semitism, so it’s hard to imagine that she used anti-Semitic cartoons in her books. Sometimes a goblin is just a goblin. ‘
Fans have also defended the author, suggesting his portrayal of the goblins was typical of the fantasy genre, with characters like JRR Tolkien and Terry Pratchett making similar descriptions (Photo: Goblins seen in The Lord of the Rings movies)
Jewish fans also quickly noted that the author has consistently spoken out against anti-Semitism in recent years.
Comedian David Baddiel also stepped in, adding, “The goblins in Harry Potter are to be seen not in a simplistic #teamRowling vs #antiteamRowling way but in a centuries-old, deeply subconsciously embedded cultural context.”
Author and literature expert Nicholas Jubber told MailOnline: “Rowling seems to have followed the traditions of British fantasy literature. The old German word ‘kobold’ gave us the word ‘cobalt’, signaling the association of these creatures with mining for precious minerals, so it makes sense that goblins are tied to chests and underground storage.
Jewish fans quickly noticed that Rowling had consistently spoken out against anti-Semitism in recent years; including as a frequent critic of Jeremy Corbyn during his leadership of the Labor Party and when she refused to join a cultural boycott of Israel.
Fans have also suggested that his portrayal of the goblins was typical of the fantasy genre, with JRR Tolkien and Terry Pratchett using similar descriptions.
Fans have taken to social media to defend the author
One of them said on Wednesday: “Goblins were described and portrayed like this decades before Rowling. So if these activists have any issues with the way the goblins are portrayed, they should cancel the Fantastic Books and myths that existed before.
Another added: “You should tar all the fantasy writers such as Tolkien and the artists, who have portrayed goblins in exactly the same way since the 19th century.
“In most fantasy and children’s writings, they are almost always portrayed as petty, hoarders of gold and jewelry with the same characteristics.
Others have noted that Rowling’s original sketch of Goblins was very different from the depiction of the creatures in the film, which Warner Brothers is originally behind.
