JK Rowling’s reps have slammed a “distasteful” prank after the Harry Potter author was reportedly tricked into thinking she was on a Zoom call to the Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
A video has surfaced of Russian hoaxters Vovan and Lexus speaking to the author in a 12-minute call, whilst pretending to be Zelenskyy.
It appears that Rowling, who kept her video on, didn’t realise she was being recorded.
The pair are infamous for prank-calling celebrities, with past victims including Billie Eilish, Elton John, Prince Harry and Kamala Harris.
During the call, Rowling is asked about Harry Potter’s lightning bolt forehead scar, which the pranksters compare to the “Z” symbol, as used by the Russian military on its tanks during its invasion of Ukraine.
Asked if she would change it to a Ukrainian trident, Rowling says she would “look into that”.
“It might be good for me to do something with that myself on social media because I think that will get into the newspapers,” she added.
Elsewhere during the prank call, the duo enquired whether Dumbeldore was really gay and who he slept with, and also asked about Boris Johnson’s gender.
Eventually the duo turned on their camera to introduce “The Order of the Ukrainian Phoenix” only to reveal a group of people wearing T-shirts that read “Only Putin!” in Russian.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, the author’s reps labelled the hoax call, which was first discovered online by The Rowling Library, as “distasteful”, adding: “JK Rowling was approached to talk about her extensive charitable work in Ukraine, supporting children and families who have been affected by the current conflict in the region. The video, which has been edited, is a distorted representation of the conversation.”
Earlier this year, Rowling announced she would match donations up to £1m after her Lumos Foundation launched an emergency appeal to aid children trapped in orphanages in Ukraine.
Vovan and Lexus have been criticised in the past for targeting high-profile people who are critical of Russian foreign policy, leaving some to suspect they’re state actors.