Novelist Stephen King sparked outrage after falsely asserting on social media that conservative activist Charlie Kirk had promoted executing gay people through stoning.
The horror writer’s inflammatory claim emerged hours after Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University.
Mr King posted his accusation on X whilst responding to Fox News presenter Jesse Watters, who had characterised Kirk as neither controversial nor divisive but rather a patriot. “He advocated stoning gays to death. Just sayin’,” Mr King wrote in the now-removed post.
The statement triggered fierce condemnation from conservative figures. Texas Senator Ted Cruz branded King “a horrible, evil, twisted liar,” whilst Mr Kirk’s friend Dave Rubin declared the author “more monstrous than any of the characters you ever came up with.”
Mr King subsequently issued several apologies for his unfounded allegation. “I apologize for saying Charlie Kirk advocated stoning gays. What he actually demonstrated was how some people cherry-pick Biblical passages,” the 77-year-old author posted on Friday.
Responding directly to Mr Cruz’s harsh criticism, Mr King wrote: “The horrible, evil, twisted liar apologizes. This is what I get for reading something on Twitter w/o fact-checking. Won’t happen again.” (sic)
The novelist continued his mea culpa with additional posts, stating he had been “wrong” and confirming he had removed the offensive tweet.
Multiple conservative voices demanded Mr Kirk’s family pursue defamation proceedings against Mr King, with Laura Ingraham describing the author as “a sad, bitter man.”
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Mr King later attempted reconciliation by sharing Barack Obama’s statement condemning Mr Kirk’s murder.
Mr King’s misrepresentation stemmed from Mr Kirk’s 2024 podcast remarks addressing children’s YouTuber Ms Rachel. Mr Kirk had criticised her for invoking “love thy neighbour” to support Pride celebrations.
“Ms. Rachel, you might wanna crack open that Bible of yours, in a lesser referenced part of the same part of scripture is in Leviticus 18 is that thou shall lay with another man, shall be stoned to death,” Mr Kirk stated, adding: “Just sayin’.”
Mr Kirk appeared to reference Leviticus 18:22, which declares homosexual acts an “abomination.” Another passage, Leviticus 20:13, prescribes death for such behaviour.
Stephen King apologised for his tweets
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Mr Rubin emphasised that Mr Kirk had treated him and his husband respectfully, noting they had shared meals together. “He even came to our house not too long ago and plot twist, didn’t throw rocks at us,” Mr Rubin wrote.
Authorities apprehended Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah resident, in connection with Mr Kirk’s killing.
President Trump confirmed the arrest during a Fox & Friends appearance, stating: “I think with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody. Everyone did a great job.”
Utah Governor Spencer Cox revealed that Mr Robinson had confided in a family acquaintance about his involvement in the shooting, leading to his detention.
The timing of Mr King’s controversy coincided with Lionsgate’s release of The Long Walk, adapted from his 1979 dystopian novel. The film features Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson alongside Mark Hamill.
NBC and MSNBC executives issued internal guidance urging staff to “embrace different perspectives” following the termination of analyst Matthew Dowd, who had suggested Mr Kirk bore responsibility for his own death.