Stephen King, the author of Misery, faced heavy backlash after comments he made about Charlie Kirk, who was recently killed. Critics called King “a horrible, evil, twisted liar” and even said he was “more monstrous” than the villains in his books for attacking Kirk’s memory so soon after his death.
King, 77, deleted his post and apologized several times after his reaction to a tribute for Kirk, an ally of former President Donald Trump, caused outrage.
“He advocated stoning gays to death. Just sayin’,” King wrote in response to Fox News host Jesse Watters, who had described Kirk as “not a controversial or polarizing figure” but “a PATRIOT.”
That remark brought swift pushback. Many pointed out Kirk had publicly said that gay people should be welcome in the conservative movement.
“You are a horrible, evil, twisted liar. No, he did not,” Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas wrote on X, calling King “dishonest and full of hate.”
Dave Rubin, a close friend of Kirk, said King was “more monstrous than any of the characters you ever came up with.” Rubin wrote, “Charlie was never anything but kind to me and my husband. We shared meals together many times, and he always treated us with respect. He even visited our home not long ago, and surprise, he didn’t throw rocks at us. Why don’t you write about that sometime instead?”
{{/usCountry}}Dave Rubin, a close friend of Kirk, said King was “more monstrous than any of the characters you ever came up with.” Rubin wrote, “Charlie was never anything but kind to me and my husband. We shared meals together many times, and he always treated us with respect. He even visited our home not long ago, and surprise, he didn’t throw rocks at us. Why don’t you write about that sometime instead?”
{{/usCountry}}Others online urged Kirk’s family to sue King, saying he had “crossed a line.” Laura Ingraham also weighed in, calling King “a sad, bitter man.”
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Stephen King apologizedon social media
King eventually admitted he was wrong. He deleted the post and apologized directly, even using Cruz’s words. “The horrible, evil, twisted liar apologizes,” King wrote. “This is what I get for reading something on Twitter without checking first. Won’t happen again.”
He later posted again, saying, “I apologize for saying Charlie Kirk advocated stoning gays. What he really showed was how people pick and choose verses from the Bible.”
King then shared a message from former President Barack Obama, who condemned the murder, saying, “This kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy.” King replied, “All correct.”
Finally, King compared Kirk’s assassination to the killings of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., describing them all as acts carried out by “cowards who shot from ambush.”