During the “Saturday Night Live” Season 51 premiere, “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling found an unlikely defender on “Weekend Update” in Bowen Yang’s Dobby the House Elf.
“Master Rowling has done so much for Dobby and for inclusion in general,” Yang’s Dobby told “SNL” viewers about the “Potter” author, who has come under fire in recent years for her anti-trans views. As he spoke, Yang fought to keep one half of his House Elf costume on, remarking at one point, “So sorry. My fatigues are not well made.”
“Remember when Dumbledore was gay after the books came out, and when Hermione was Black only on Broadway!” Yang’s Dobby cheekily reminded “Weekend Update” co-hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost. “And when Cho Chang was… was Cho Chang Asian? Dobby can’t remember if the character named ‘Cho Chang’ was Asian…”
“The point is: Dobby came here to say that women have vaginas and women’s bathrooms are for women only and girls and ghost of girls,” Yang’s Dobby concluded. You can watch Yang’s full “Weekend Update” appearance yourself in the video below.
Dobby the House Elf stops by the Weekend Update desk pic.twitter.com/h71PRFV6Be
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) October 5, 2025
Che, for his part, said he did not even understand Yang’s “Harry Potter” references because he never read those “corny ass books.”
“Of course, Dobby never meant to imply that Mr. Che was uncool!” Yang’s Dobby hurriedly replied. “Mr. Che is very cool! He goes to strip clubs and Yankees games. Unlike Dobby, who is… Oh, no. Dobby is millennial cringe!” Panicked, Yang jumped over the “Weekend Update” desk and ran right up to one of the “SNL” cameras to smash his head into it while yelling, “Bad Dobby! Cringe Dobby!,” much to the shocked delight of the night’s studio audience.
When Che asked him why he was hurting himself, Yang’s Dobby responded, “Dobby doesn’t know. Perhaps because House Elves are somehow always the problem, even though we’re only 1% of the population. But House Elves aren’t the victims! Master Rowling is. She gets so much hate mail.”
To prove his point, Yang held up a shirt of Rowling’s face that reads “They.K. Rowling,” before announcing it was now Dobby’s nicest piece of clothing. Seeing an opportunity, Jost told Yang that, according to the rules in the “Potter” books, being given the troll-y shirt means he is free from his servitude.
“Dobby is finally free,” Yang’s House Elf announced. Unfortunately, he wasn’t done horrifying both Jost and Che. “Listen up, world. Dobby has something to say,” Yang announced. “[Gellert] Grindelwald’s worst crime was sodomy!”
