JK Rowling Didn't Return For The Harry Potter Reunion Special & We Just Found Out Why

HBO Max's Return to Hogwarts brings back nearly everyone who made the first Harry Potter film special — except for the woman who imagined the whole thing into existence.

Author J.K. Rowling did not participate in the highly anticipated special, which reunites the cast and crew of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on the 20th anniversary of its release. And while she's become a controversial figure for her transphobic comments in recent years, it was reportedly her choice not to come back.

HBO Max asked Rowling to be part of the reunion but her team declined, Entertainment Weekly reports. Rowling’s reps allegedly told HBO that it already had plenty of her archival footage available, and that the author didn't need to sit down for another interview.

Rowling's team told EW that the decision had nothing to do with her tirades about transgender women — a topic that she has continued to speak about regularly on her Twitter account.

HBO Max has not commented on the report, although it avoided using her name while promoting the reunion special.

Several former Harry Potter cast members have already distanced themselves from Rowling over her comments, including stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson.

The Potter reunion drops on New Year's Day, and early reviews say that Rowling is barely a part of it. She reportedly discusses Radcliffe's casting in a clip from 2019, and a few cast members later talk about how her books inspired a generation of readers.

HBO Max has already shared a few clips from the special, and it looks like it'll be filled with lots of happy reunions between the cast members.

Return to Hogwarts brings back most of the original cast, including the main trio of Radcliffe, Watson and Rupert Grint.

Other familiar faces include Tom Felton, Gary Oldman, Helena Bonham Carter and even the original movie's director, Chris Columbus.