J.K. Rowling Pranked On Zoom Video Call By Russians Impersonating Ukraine President Zelensky
3 min read
Credit: WireImage
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling was duped by a pair of practical jokers into thinking she was on a Zoom chat with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Russian comedy group Vovan and Lexus, known for making hoax calls to famous people, managed to mislead Rowling in the video below, which was originally spotted online early on Tuesday by The Rowling Library. Elton John, Prince Harry, Billie Eilish, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, and George W. Bush are just a few of their previous victims.
The author’s representative referred to the prank as “distasteful” and stated that J.K. Rowling had been contacted to discuss her significant philanthropic work in Ukraine, which supports children and families who have been impacted by the ongoing turmoil in the country. The conversation is misrepresented in the edited video, which was produced.
What can be seen in J.K. Rowling’s awkward video?
The jokers say that Harry Potter’s lightning bolt forehead scar resembles a “Z,” which the Russian military painted on its tanks during its invasion of Ukraine and has since become a sign of support for the conflict among Russians, throughout the 12-minute, increasingly embarrassing film. Rowling was asked if she would substitute a Ukrainian trident for the current emblem. She promised, “I’ll look into that.” “I think that will get into the press, so it could be nice for me to do something with that myself on social media.”
The two questioned Rowling about Dumbledore’s sexual orientation and who he had relations with, emphasising that it was “hopefully not with a transsexual.”
The two informed Rowling that they were imprinting missiles with the “Avada Kedavra” curse, which appears in the Harry Potter series.
J.K. Rowling was pranked by a Russian duo who made her believe she was on a Zoom call with Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for over 13 minutes. pic.twitter.com/xdyNEPQT0j
— Pop Base (@PopBase) June 23, 2022
He didn’t require a Polyjuice Potion to pull off the trick as the Zelensky mimic was presumably just audible during the call. They did, however, briefly activate their webcam to present “The Order of the Ukrainian Phoenix,” a trio sporting Russian-language T-shirts that said, “Only Putin.” “We read Harry Potter to the battalion’s soldiers. Simply avoid reading them passages concerning half-breeds because they are patriots and dislike such individuals, the pranksters said.
Rowling has been aggressively promoting the work of her charity, Lumos, on Twitter. Lumos has been working in the Zhytomyr region to assist underprivileged children and families.
Beyond the specifics of the practical jokes, Vovan and Lexus have come under fire in the past for frequently picking on well-known figures who oppose Russian foreign policy, leading some to believe they are state actors.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, which recently began streaming on HBO Max, was co-written and produced by Rowling.
Ankita Khanrah
Ankita Khanrah is a second-year student of the Master of Communication and Journalism (Integrated) programme at the School of Mass Communication, KIIT Deemed University, Bhubaneswar.
