CW: This article contains discussions of antisemitism, sexual assault, transphobia and racism.

Megan Levick

The media is currently rife with celebrity scandals, with artists often accused of problematic behaviour. This prompts the age-old question: Is it possible to separate the art from the artist?

Kanye West has repeatedly appeared in headlines for his antisemitic remarks, which he claims caused him a financial loss of two billion dollars in a single day. The defamation trial between acclaimed actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard garnered international media attention. Throughout the trial, Depp reportedly lost $650 million in movie earnings amidst assault allegations.

Such cases have prompted intense debate which has risen to the forefront of the media, leaving dedicated fans with the difficult choice to support and defend their idol or abandon them altogether. 

Should we let the problematic behaviour of a person influence the way that we judge their work?

Separating J. K. Rowling from the Harry Potter franchise

J. K. Rowling is a figure infamously associated with this debate. In 2020, Rowling drew backlash after publicly expressing controversial remarks about the transgender community under the guise of advocating for women and victims of sexual assault. This was the beginning of the author’s swift downfall.

“art reflects the artist, and J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter are no exception.”

Many LGBTQIA+ Harry Potter fans had previously found comfort in the franchise and identified with the story of an outsider who finds their place of belonging. Allies of the transgender community within the Harry Potter readership were faced with the complicated problem of whether it is possible to remove Harry Potter from the context of its creation.

Many fans have advocated for this, as it is difficult to completely cast off the franchise for those that have been deeply impacted by the books and movies. Others have adopted a different perspective, and believe that it is immoral to continue to support Rowling’s work. Many have claimed that the problem is much more complex, as art reflects the artist, and J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter are no exception.

It is also important to consider whether it is possible to endorse media without involuntarily endorsing the actions of the creator. This issue presented itself when a Twitter user asked Rowling, “How do you sleep at night knowing you’ve lost a whole audience from buying your books?”. Rowling responded, “I read my most recent royalty cheques and find the pain goes away pretty quickly.”

This isn’t the only example of Rowling’s dismissive attitude towards the backlash she has received, as she has previously shown a complete lack of concern for her behaviour, claiming that she doesn’t “care about” her legacy. This highlights the complexity of the debate. If a celebrity continues to profit off of their harmful behaviour or denies all accountability, are they facing any real consequences for their actions?

Cancel Culture and Parasocial Relationships

Social media can often be an intense place, where there is little space to make mistakes. Separating the art from the artist is something we are beginning to see less as the world of social media develops into an increasingly judgemental platform. Instead, celebrities are condemned to a much harsher punishment: being cancelled. 

Cancel culture is a term that we are seeing more frequently in the media, which involves boycotting an individual that may have committed harmful, illegal or questionable behaviour. This concept can lead to social ostracisation, as it aims to completely reject the perpetrator from society, causing a loss of reputation that can be difficult to recover from.

“parasocial relationships have exacerbated cancel-culture.”

There are unfavourable aspects of most people’s past that they may regret or feel ashamed about, but when you’re in the limelight, these things can become difficult to keep private. Due to the large portion of celebrities’ personal lives that are exposed to the public realm, inevitably, these elements will eventually come to light.

The rise in stan culture has arguably been a major contributing factor to the idea of cancel culture. The term “stan” refers to an individual or a group of fans that show intense obsession towards a particular artist and become overly involved in all aspects of their life. When fans idolise celebrities to this extent, it can lead to parasocial relationships forming, which has the potential to develop into something dangerous. 

It can be argued that parasocial relationships have exacerbated cancel culture. When fans idolise somebody, they tend to put them on a pedestal and create unrealistically high expectations for them. When their idols fail to meet these expectations, they face harsh consequences, such as being cancelled.

Facing the Consequences

On the other hand, these fascinations may continue regardless of the problematic behaviour of their idol, and fans will ruthlessly defend their actions. This often means that the perpetrator doesn’t face the full consequences of their actions. 

“nothing prevents you from consuming media produced by someone with an unethical background“

People that support cancel culture and believe that people deserve to be treated accordingly to their crimes do not believe that it is possible to separate the art from the artist. However, those that are opposed to the concept believe that people deserve to be able to learn from their mistakes and heal, depending on the severity of the perpetrator’s actions. With this mindset, separating the art from the artist is entirely possible. 

Separating the art from the artist is a nuanced topic, and the debate is ultimately a war of personal ethics; nothing prevents you from consuming media produced by someone with an unethical background, other than your morals.

Should we feel inclined to take personal culpability for the moral corruptions of celebrities and sacrifice things we find joy in? It is a complicated moral dilemma, and there is no black-and-white way to approach the answer.

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Featured image courtesy of  Chris Ainsworth on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.

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