BylineTV Producer Apologises For Explicit Outburst At JK Rowling
Robertson was made founder of left-wing Byline TV, after distancing himself from viral content made for famous far right activists. (Screengrab via X/BylineTV)
Byline TV producer Caolan Robertson apologised Thursday for a post in which he called Harry Potter author JK Rowling a “c*nt” when the writer joked she was avoiding an interview with him because she was “too intimidated to face Britain’s answer to Bob Woodward.”
Earlier that day, Robertson had published his interview with transgender broadcaster India Willoughby after Rowling, who is openly gender critical, tweeted that Willoughby was a “man” during an online debate over trans inclusivity in women’s spaces. In one clip, Willoughby disclosed that she had reported the author to the police for “misgendering.”
Rowling responded Thursday saying her lawyers had said, to the contrary, she had a case against Willoughby for “defamation” and “harassment” – although she wouldn’t pursue it.
Robertson, who said he had reached out to Rowling as well as Willoughby for participation in the initial interview, extended the offer again, promising Rowling a “balanced interview with exactly the same journalistic integrity.”
Late Thursday users on X asked Rowling whether she would take Robertson up on the offer, she responded by saying she was “too intimidated” and jokingly compared the Byline producer to veteran Washington Post investigative journalist Bob Woodward, who famously broke the Watergate Scandal in 1972. Robertson responded by calling Rowling a “c*nt.”
Caolan Robertson responding on X to Rowling’s jibe. (Screengrab via X)
Following this, Robertson’s employer, Byline Times, condemned the comment as “completely unacceptable.”
On Friday, without request from the writer, Robertson issued an apology:
He attributed the remark to an “intense day with a huge pile on” but maintained that he had “massive regret” for the “embarrassing and unprofessional” outburst.
Rowling quickly responded, thanking Robertson for his apology.
In the fallout, however, more sceptical internet users are calling attention to Robertson’s documented past producing “extreme” viral content for right-wing activists and personalities like Tommy Robinson, but also, reportedly, Stateside figures like Lauren Southern and Alex Jones.
A 2021 profile in the New York Times details how Robertson, who is gay, said he became radicalised by anti-Muslim content online after the 2016 shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando by a terrorist who pledged allegiance to Islamic State. Robertson reached out to Robinson in 2017 and produced provocative political social media content for him for two years.
Robertson, however, had a “change of heart” in 2019 after attending a conference held by Byline Times, which is a left-leaning publication. He distanced himself from his previous work and within a year he was founder of a new project by the newspaper, Byline TV.
