Is JK Rowling in the Epstein files? What we know

Following the U.S. Department of Justice's January 2026 release of records related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, social media users claimed the files proved that "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling had a relationship with the disgraced financier and the two communicated via email.

For instance, a rumor spread that Rowling personally invited him to the Broadway premiere of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" in 2018.

Conversations about the alleged connection spread on Facebook, X, Reddit and Bluesky. As apparent proof, social media users presented purported emails from the files about the Broadway show, as well as messages with the signature "Jx." Rowling previously signed some social media posts, in 2013, with those letters.

These emails did appear in the Department of Justice (DOJ)'s release of files. However, none of the documents show communications between Rowling and Epstein. In one email, an unnamed sender asked Epstein if he could connect them with Rowling. Epstein did not reply with any relevant information, the records show.

In other words, the records do not prove that Rowling knew, communicated with or associated with Epstein, as social media users implied. Being named in the files does not necessarily imply wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein's crimes. Also, there's no credible evidence to substantiate the claim that the "Jx" signature referred to Rowling.

Rowling denies ever meeting Epstein. In a Feb. 2 response to an X post accusing Rowling of reaching out to Epstein after his 2008 convictions for soliciting prostitution and soliciting prostitution from a minor, Rowling wrote: "This is beyond silly. Neither I, nor anybody on my team, ever met, communicated with or invited Jeffrey Epstein to anything."