What's Up With Jokes About J.K. Rowling Having Black Mold In Her House? Conspiracy Theories About Rowling's Supposed Home Mold Infestation Turning Her Into A TERF Explained

J.K. Rowling's involvement with the transphobic "gender critical" movement in the U.K. led her to deride female Algerian boxer Imane Khelif this past week, with the author going so far as the call the boxer a "man" despite having no official evidence for doing so.

Rowling's turn toward TERF ideologies has alienated many of her fans over the years, but her decision to "transvestigate" a female Olympic athlete led to one Twitter user taking things a step further by trying to find exactly where Rowling's bizarre beliefs stem from.

In late July 2024, Twitter (now X) user @mushycrouton posted an image of Rowling's own Twitter profile picture and pointed out strange black markings on the walls of her Edinburgh home, asking, "Sorry but is that black mould growing up the walls of her house?"

The question sent the internet straight into investigation mode as people tried to piece together all available evidence to see if Rowling was indeed living with toxic black mold that may be affecting how her brain functions. Here's a look at all the evidence thus far.

Where Did Rumors About J.K. Rowling Living With Black Mold Originate?

On July 30th, 2024, X user @mushycrouton posted an image of Rowling's Twitter profile picture alongside the caption, "Sorry but is that black mould growing up the walls of her house? Is that why she’s the way she is?"

The post showed a grainy image of Rowling smiling in her own home, the walls showing black markings snaking up from the ground, the shape of which resembles water seepage or mold damage.

Does J.K. Rowling Really Have Black Mold Growing In Her Edinburgh Home?

While the initial posts speculating about the state of Rowling's home are unproven, a 2022 older video of Rowling's home, recorded herself, shows similar markings on her wall. Some internet users have taken this to mean that the "mold" in Rowling's house is actually floral-themed wallpaper, and they insist that sometime in the early 2020s, Rowling simply added a new wallpaper to her house that looks an awful lot like mold when seen through blurry photos and footage.

How Did People React To The Rumor That J.K. Rowling Supposedly Has Black Mold Growing In Her Home?

In late July 2024, Rowling took it upon herself to level unproven accusations against female Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, insisting that the athlete was a man. The unfounded accusations led many people to link the rumor about her having mold in her house to her expressing trans-exclusionary ideas.

X users @ChrisDStedman and @AnotherPlumbob posted tweets about Rowling's supposed black mold issue feeding her transphobic ideas, with the latter expressing the progression in the form of Sims screengrabs.

As the rumor continued to progress, X user @beeblebroxes posted an image showing Rowling edited onto an RDJ's Comments meme in the form of a sticker. Meanwhile, other internet users joked about how it has to be the supposed mold in Rowling's house that makes her tweet things that can be considered transphobic.

Has J.K. Rowling Confirmed Or Denied That There Is Black Mold Growing In Her House?

As of August 4th, 2024, Rowling has not commented on the rumor that there is black mold supposedly growing on the walls of her home in Edinburgh, Scotland. However, Rowling did change her profile picture for the first time in months, with the new photo showing no trace of moldy or similarly waterlogged-looking walls.

Unfortunately for Rowling, her new profile picture contained an oddly phallic shape that appeared to protrude from her ear, leaving her critics further confused.

For the full history of J.K. Rowling Black Mold Theory, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.