SNL’s Heated Rivalry and Harry Potter Crossover Was Disappointing [Opinion]

Heated Rivalry has taken the Internet by storm and caught the eve of SNL. The Canadian series from Crave about queer hockey players debuted on HBO Max in November and became an instant hit. The show is based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers book series, which has been flying off the shelves. The show’s stars, Connor Storrie (Ilya Rozanov) and Hudson Williams (Shane Hollander), have been overnight successes. They presented at the Golden Globes in January despite spending less than two months in the spotlight. Considering Heat Rivalry’s popularity, it was inevitable that Saturday Night Live would do a sketch about the series. 

Sure enough, SNL’s first 2026 episode, which was hosted by Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard, featured a digital short inspired by Heated Rivalry. The sketch combined the new show with another popular franchise: Harry Potter. 

“Heated Wizardry” showcases a romance between Harry Potter (Wolfhard) and Ron Weasley (Ben Marshall), as they find forbidden love on the Quidditch pitch. The sketch pokes fun at the sexual nature of Heated Rivalry while leaning into Harry Potter puns that were popular on Tumblr in 2010. The sketch surprised the audience with a cameo by Jason Momoa as Hagrid. On paper, this sounds like a fun (if not obvious) way to shine a light on Heated Rivalry’s popularity. Unfortunately, it’s also incredibly tone deaf.

The Trouble with Harry

Harry Potter is an undeniably beloved IP. The book series has spawned wildly popular films, a Broadway play, theme park attractions, and pretty much every type of merchandise you can imagine. Unfortunately, the name Harry Potter has also become synonymous with transphobia due to author J.K. Rowling’s outspoken bigotry. Separating the art from the artist is a concept people have grappled with for a long time, but Rowling has made it nearly impossible to support anything Harry Potter-related. 

It’s not as though the author has said one or two hateful comments about one of the most marginalized groups of people in the world. No, she has made it her mission to make the lives of transgender individuals worse. She has dedicated her social media presence to spreading false and dangerous rhetoric about the trans community, specifically trans women. Rowling has also consistently used her wealth to fund anti-trans advocacy groups, and she does so with pride. When you spend money on anything Harry Potter, you are directly hurting trans people. 

Why Speaking Out Matters

Considering that Heated Rivalry is a queer phenomenon, it feels incredibly insensitive to associate it with Rowling’s creation. There are a million other ways SNL could have poked fun at this unapologetically gay story. You may see people celebrating the idea that Rowling “probably hated” the sketch, but homophobia has never been her problem. In fact, she has said many times that Albus Dumbledore, her most powerful character, is gay. If homophobia and transphobia were interchangeable, there wouldn’t be queer “TERF” spaces dedicated to ostracizing trans women. 

You can say “it’s just a joke” or “it’s not that deep,” but we’re living in dangerous times. Trans people are human beings. They are just trying to live, and their entire existence has been turned into a political talking point. Whether or not a vulnerable group of people is allowed to exist shouldn’t be a debate. Trans people are constantly subjected to hatred because the current administration has chosen them as a target. Misinformation is being spread about them constantly because the people in power need to invent fake problems to distract the American people.

Why Heated Wizardry Fails

It’s possible the sketch could have succeeded if the writers had taken time to really go after Rowling. They only mention the author with a fake quote by her that says, “I am not a part of this.” They had so many opportunities to challenge her transphobia, but chose not to. It’s hard not to wonder if this sketch would have come out differently had Celeste Yim still been on the writing staff. Yim was the first openly trans writer to work for SNL, and they departed the show in 2025 after five years. While it’s not a trans person’s job to be the morality police, it is important to have a diverse range of voices on a writing staff, especially when tackling satire.

Even if Rowling wasn’t a hateful bigot, there would be other reasons to criticize the “Heated Wizardry” sketch. It’s bizarre to see so many people cheering for a digital short that doesn’t even make sense. In the fan fiction community, Harry Potter is known for its slash fiction, which focuses on gay pairings. If you’re going to write something based on a rivalry, why would you make it about two best friends who play on the same team? Is it just because SNL‘s Ben Marshall has red hair?

Harry had a longstanding feud with Draco Malfoy in the books, and there are endless slash fics about them online. They played on rival teams. The correct answer was right there! While that’s obviously not why we’re disappointed by the sketch, it does add an extra layer of bitterness.

Looking to the Future

The queer community is lucky to have Heated Rivalry in our lives right now. It’s exciting to see a show about gay and bisexual athletes getting this much attention. The series is shedding light on the difficulties gay men face in sports. It has the potential to change how the world perceives real-life athletes who have been forced to stay in the closet.

If Heated Rivalry‘s impact matters to you, so should protecting trans men and women. As cis members of the LGBTQ+ community, it is our duty to speak out against hatred and support those who need it most. While Rowling gets nothing from SNL doing a Harry Potter sketch, its mere existence reminds people that a new Harry Potter show is coming to HBO. When you go to tune into the new series, just remember who benefits most from its success.

We understand that things are bleak, and trans people aren’t the only ones suffering. If Harry Potter is still your main source of joy in these tough times and you’re unwilling to let it go, consider ways you can experience it without putting money into Rowling’s pocket.