this post was submitted on 04 Sep 2026
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Star Trek actor Wil Wheaton has made his stance on the HBO Harry Potter TV show very clear amid JK Rowling’s involvement.

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[–] boaratio@lemmy.world 24 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Wil Wheaton, despite having to navigate the trauma of being a child actor, turned out to be a pretty decent human being.

What he had to navigate was horrible parents. There is nothing worse than being raised by narcissists.

[–] myrmidex@belgae.social 173 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It’s far from the first time the actor has publicly stood up for the trans community. In a 2022 interview about his LGBTQ+ allyship, he slammed influential people who stay silent in order to protect their own careers and status.

“Shame on every single one of those f**king cowards who is so worried and preoccupied and obsessed with their own access, their own influence, their own social standing, their own ambition, that they are willing to put all of that ahead of the fundamental right of a trans person to exist and walk down the streets feeling as safe as I,” he told Forbes,

“That is inexcusable. That is indefensible. It enrages me.”

What a beautiful person!

[–] DamienGramatacus@lemmy.world 27 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 9 points 3 days ago

You can just see it in his eyes. They're so genuine and kind. That's hard for anyone to fake, even professional actors.

I remember watching Sheldon pester him and be an ass, and he never even got mad. He just looks at him with this pity like "I legitimately feel sorry for you."

I mean I know that was all scripted, but, like... his eyes! The man's soul shines.

[–] Draegur@lemmy.zip 109 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It's amazing how good a person he is despite the shit people gave him over his role as Wesley Crusher. It's hard not to become bitter, not because of a mere fandom's petty jeering, but in the face of this very world. It can take the smallest slight to push someone beyond the edge. Many who walked a similar path embraced spite and wound up grifting for fascism. I'm grateful every time I see someone who hasn't fallen for the dubious "acclaim" of the dumbest, cruelest, filthiest, most inhumane scum on the planet.

[–] panda_abyss@lemmy.ca 44 points 3 days ago (3 children)

I always liked Wesley, the character encouraged me to experiment and try things.

[–] lost_faith@lemmy.ca 10 points 3 days ago

It was nice to see, except in Datalore which felt like it should have been his second ep, how he was respected for his intelligence and observations and elevated instead of being condescended to by adults threatened by his abilities

[–] BradleyUffner@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

I've heard he always got the most fan mail it anyone on that show. It was always just the loud assholes, as usual, causing grief.

[–] MoonRaven@feddit.nl 26 points 3 days ago

It's a low bar.

But Will seems to have been good before this.

[–] DementedSociety@lemmy.world 47 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Wow, I had no idea Will was fucking awesome.

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 17 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Yeah, he's been through so much shit, you read his book and you just hurt for him. He went back years later and redid his book, apologizing for all the insensitive things he had written because he was younger and didn't have the proper perspective. I don't always agree with him on everything, but damn, he's trying and usually pulling it off.

He actually joined Lemmy back before it took off and got collectively driven off by the indigenous Lemmings and swore the platform off. He made like one post and was ridiculed by so many asshats.

[–] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 7 points 3 days ago

He actually joined Lemmy back before it took off and got collectively driven off by the indigenous Lemmings and swore the platform off. He made like one post and was ridiculed by so many asshats.

Damn, it's cool that he was here but not cool that asshats drove him away. I guess that's a lesson in de-anonymizing oneself on an anonymous forum, especially as a public figure. It makes me wonder if he's still here interacting on various alt accounts. I wonder if I've ever engaged with him without even knowing it...

Hey wait. Are you him‽‽‽

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

that sounds about right for lemmy

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 days ago

He came back when the tankies and conservatives were the only kids on the playgound.

He'd have a fair shot now-a-days I think. Well he'd at least have more supportors and defenders than asshats

[–] SpacePanda@mander.xyz 28 points 3 days ago

The little I know is he has been through some shit and he doesnt want anyone else to go shit like he did. Everything ive seen from him is pretty cool.

[–] Snapz@lemmy.world 9 points 3 days ago

Fuck jk rowling, that notorious terf.

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 17 points 3 days ago

I sort of follow Wil on social media. Seems like a good guy. Not surprising to see him on the right side of things.

[–] CannonFodder@lemmy.world 18 points 3 days ago (2 children)
[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] smeenz@lemmy.nz 7 points 3 days ago

Hwil Hweaton

[–] BeigeAgenda@lemmy.ca 5 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I read it as Weasley and was confused?

[–] skisnow@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 days ago

It seems almost a shame not to cast Wil Wheaton as Arthur Weasley. Lucius says "Shut up, Weasley" to him, and then they both turn to look into the camera.

[–] WhoIzDisIz@lemmy.today 2 points 3 days ago

Would it have been any less confusing if you'd read "Wheatley?"

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 11 points 3 days ago

I like not giving more money (power) to bad people.

[–] Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works 12 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Yup. Fuck that show. I won't watch it, and I have HBO as well as a history of watching every Harry Potter movie to date.

[–] TheSambassador@lemmy.world 16 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Not even going to pirate it. The entire franchise has become poisonous to me. I don't begrudge anyone for still having fond memories of the series, but it's really and truly completely ruined for me.

Do I get maximum internet butthurt points if I never saw the appeal in the first place?

[–] RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Knowing that she cribbed most of it from Neil Gaimsn makes it doubly toxic to me.

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

She didn’t, she assembled it from the school story genre that was popular in the 1910s-1930s

[–] Souvenir@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Billy Bunter(that's where some of the fat-phobia comes from, I think), Naughtiest Girl, but also later shows/books like the Worst Witch which has a bullying raven haired potions teacher.

But also the Earth Sea novels and Pratchett's Discworld series which also has a school of Wizardry.

[–] brachiosaurus@mander.xyz 6 points 2 days ago

I have HBO

You probably want to boycott this corporation too

[–] smeenz@lemmy.nz 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I won't watch it either. Sure, I've never seen or read a single Harry Potter book, nor do I have HBO ..in fact I don't even think it exists in NZ, but still, its the principle, right?

[–] KeithD@lemmy.nz 1 points 3 days ago

According to wikipedia, HBO Max was launched in NZ in June this year. And I too am boycotting all of the TV series and streaming services that I have no interest in watching.

[–] RaoulDuke25@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 3 days ago

I mean, aren't most of us doing the same by not watching?

[–] Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago (2 children)

And the pendulum swings on Wil Wheaton's public opinion yet again.

[–] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 9 points 3 days ago

Why was anyone mad at Wil?

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago (1 children)

pendulum? wil wheaton?

sometimes i'm glad i unplug from fandoms so i can enjoy people and shit.

[–] Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I'm not in the Trek fandom at all, but that's thanks to some toxic fans I avoid.

A brief summary though is everyone hated Wheaton at first because of his character in TNG, but eventually realized that even if you didn't like the character, hating the child actor was insane. He would later warm up to everyone for giving very canid, human answers to questions people have about TNG on slashdot. He was fairly active on that forum in the 00's. He was also the host of a tournament show on G4 and blew the whistle on the rigging the producers were pulling.

More recently though, he hosted the interviews for a bunch of nuTrek behind the scenes stuff and came across as a lapdog desperate to have some role in one of them. I only saw those because of the RLM reviews and I didn't even realize it was Wheaton at first. Compared to publicly boycotting HP, it was fairly petty.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

, he hosted the interviews for a bunch of nuTrek behind the scenes stuff and came across as a lapdog desperate to have some role in one of them.

i mean, i get the desperate to have some role part. it's acting and trek. i'd me desperate too. but lapdog? that seems a bit of a harsh judgment (having only seen clips)

[–] Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

I also called it a petty matter.

[–] IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

You boycott JK Rowling because she is a terf.

I boycott JK Rowling because she is a Zionist terf.

We are not the same

[–] spacegoat@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Is Wil Wheaton the one that there was abuse controversy about or am I confusing people

[–] SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 2 days ago

He was abused by his parents for basically his entire childhood and parts of his adult life, and I'm pretty sure is now no-contact with them. The tng cast became his real family, it's quite lovely.

[–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] spacegoat@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

Yeah that was it, thank you

[–] Lennny@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

I don't think so,maybe you're confusing Wheaton for his college roommate, Chris Hardwick?