J.K. Rowling Denies Inviting Jeffrey Epstein to ‘Harry Potter & The Cursed Child’ Broadway Opening, DOJ Docs Show He Was Turned Away at Door

J.K. Rowling has sought to clear up online speculation concerning her rumored connections to disgraced financier and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Within the latest tranche of Epstein files released by the DoJ was an invitation to the official Broadway opening of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” on April 22, 2018 — after he had been convicted — prompting critics on social media to claim that he had been invited by Rowling.

Responding to an X user who asserted she had been was “sending invitations to Epstein 10 years after he was convicted,” the author replied: “This is beyond silly. Neither I, nor anybody on my team, ever met, communicated with or invited Jeffrey Epstein to anything.”

Further scrutiny of the Epstein files have shown that the tickets were sent to Epstein, not by Rowling, but the hit stage show’s producers following a request by Epstein associate Peggy Siegal, who emailed Playground Entertainment head Colin Callender saying that a “very important friend” wanted to “come see the spectacle.” There is no indication that Callender was aware who the friend in question was and he confirmed to Variety‘s sister publication Deadline that he did not.

In any case, the DoJ files also confirm that Epstein was stopped from attending the “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” opening. While he was sent the correct tickets, in an email to Siegal the following morning he claimed he “could’t get in” as his name was not on the guestlist. “No biggy but thought you should know,” he added.