September 13, 2025 • 3 mins
Stephen King Biography Flash a weekly Biography.
This week in the world of Stephen King, virtually every headline centers on his high-profile apology following a controversy that erupted on social media in the immediate aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University. Shortly after news broke of Kirk’s tragic shooting, King took to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, and claimed, inaccurately, that Kirk had advocated “stoning gays to death.” That post sparked a massive backlash, with several users quickly producing clips showing Kirk’s support for LGBT rights instead. According to The Independent and Fox News, King deleted the tweet, issued several public apologies, and clarified he had fallen for misinformation circulating online, stating, “The horrible, evil, twisted liar apologizes. This is what I get for reading something on Twitter without fact-checking. Won’t happen again.” Senator Ted Cruz weighed in publicly, calling King “a horrible, evil, twisted liar,” and several other politicians and media figures criticized the acclaimed author and suggested possible legal action, though there’s no credible report yet of any lawsuits filed.
King also responded to the shooting itself, calling the murder of Kirk “another example of American gun violence.” His remarks quickly drew criticism from both sides of the political divide, as many accused him of politicizing a tragedy. The discussion dominated X for more than 24 hours, with King’s deleted post amassing more than 13 million views according to the Hindustan Times. The author repeatedly reiterated his apology—emphasizing that Kirk never advocated violence against LGBT people—and noted that he regrets not verifying claims before posting on such a sensitive topic. Throughout, King's public persona as an outspoken critic of Donald Trump and rightwing politics was front and center, but this time the backlash overwhelmed even his sizable base of supporters.
In lighter news for King fans, Adams State Theatre in Colorado announced it will present a stage adaptation of King’s classic thriller Misery this fall, with public performances starting September 26. This event is part of the university’s centennial celebration and is being promoted as both a tribute to King’s enduring cultural influence and a kickoff to the Halloween season.
No significant new business ventures or fresh book deals have been reported this week, nor did King make any major public appearances beyond responding to the unfolding controversy online. He did not announce or promote any new creative projects or novels since our last episode, but his name has dominated trending topics due to the Kirk incident.
Thanks for joining me for this episode of Stephen King Biography Flash. If you want to stay up-to-date on everything Stephen King, subscribe now and search for Biography Flash for more great biographies.
Get the best deals https://amzn.to/4mMClBv
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This week in the world of Stephen King, virtually every headline centers on his high-profile apology following a controversy that erupted on social media in the immediate aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University. Shortly after news broke of Kirk’s tragic shooting, King took to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, and claimed, inaccurately, that Kirk had advocated “stoning gays to death.” That post sparked a massive backlash, with several users quickly producing clips showing Kirk’s support for LGBT rights instead. According to The Independent and Fox News, King deleted the tweet, issued several public apologies, and clarified he had fallen for misinformation circulating online, stating, “The horrible, evil, twisted liar apologizes. This is what I get for reading something on Twitter without fact-checking. Won’t happen again.” Senator Ted Cruz weighed in publicly, calling King “a horrible, evil, twisted liar,” and several other politicians and media figures criticized the acclaimed author and suggested possible legal action, though there’s no credible report yet of any lawsuits filed.
King also responded to the shooting itself, calling the murder of Kirk “another example of American gun violence.” His remarks quickly drew criticism from both sides of the political divide, as many accused him of politicizing a tragedy. The discussion dominated X for more than 24 hours, with King’s deleted post amassing more than 13 million views according to the Hindustan Times. The author repeatedly reiterated his apology—emphasizing that Kirk never advocated violence against LGBT people—and noted that he regrets not verifying claims before posting on such a sensitive topic. Throughout, King's public persona as an outspoken critic of Donald Trump and rightwing politics was front and center, but this time the backlash overwhelmed even his sizable base of supporters.
In lighter news for King fans, Adams State Theatre in Colorado announced it will present a stage adaptation of King’s classic thriller Misery this fall, with public performances starting September 26. This event is part of the university’s centennial celebration and is being promoted as both a tribute to King’s enduring cultural influence and a kickoff to the Halloween season.
No significant new business ventures or fresh book deals have been reported this week, nor did King make any major public appearances beyond responding to the unfolding controversy online. He did not announce or promote any new creative projects or novels since our last episode, but his name has dominated trending topics due to the Kirk incident.
Thanks for joining me for this episode of Stephen King Biography Flash. If you want to stay up-to-date on everything Stephen King, subscribe now and search for Biography Flash for more great biographies.
Get the best deals https://amzn.to/4mMClBv
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
This week in the world of Stephen King, virtually every
headline centers on his high profile apology following a controversy
that erupted on social media in the immediate aftermath of
conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassination at Utah Valley University. Shortly
after news broke of Kirk's tragic shooting, came, took to
x the platform formerly known as Twitter, and claimed inaccurately
(00:34):
that Kirk had advocated stone and gaze to death. That
post sparked a massive backlash, with several users quickly producing
clips showing Kirk's support for LGBT rights instead, according to
The Independent. In Fox News, King deleted the tweet, issued
several public apologies, and clarified he had fallen for misinformation
(00:54):
circulating online, stating the horrible, evil, twisted liar apologized, this
is what I get for reading something on Twitter without
fact checking. Won't happen again. Senator Ted Cruz weighed in
publicly calling King a horrible, evil, twisted liar, and several
(01:17):
other politicians and media figures criticized the acclaimed offer and
suggested possible legal action, though there's no credible report yet
of any lawsuits. Filed. King also responded to the shooting itself,
calling the murder of Kirk another example of American gun violence.
His remarks quickly drew criticism from both sides of the
political divide, as many accused him of politicizing a tragedy.
(01:42):
The discussion dominated x for more than twenty four hours,
with King's deleted post amassing more than thirteen million views,
according to The Hindustan Times. The author repeatedly reiterated his apology,
emphasizing that Kirk never advocated violence against LGBT people and
noted that he regrets not verifying claims before posting on
(02:02):
such a sensitive topic. Throughout King's public persona as an
outspoken critic of Donald Trump and right wing politics was
front and center, but this time the backlash overwhelmed even
his sizeable base of supporters. In lighter news for King fans,
(02:30):
Adams State Theater in Colorado announced it will present a
stage adaptation of King's classic thriller Misery this fall, with
public performances starting September twenty sixth. This event is part
of the university's centennial celebration and is being promoted as
both a tribute to King's enduring cultural influence and a
kickoff to the Halloween season. No significant new business ventures
(02:56):
or fresh book deals have been reported this week, nor
did King make any major public appearances beyond responding to
the unfolding controversy online. He did not announce or promote
any new creative projects or novels since our last episode,
but his name has dominated trending topics due to the
Kirk coincident. Thanks for joining me for this episode of
(03:16):
Stephen King Biography Flash. If you want to stay up
to date on everything Stephen King, subscribe now and search
for Biography Flash for more great biographies. And that is
it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button
and never miss an update on Stephen King. Thanks for listening.
This has been a quiet please production quiet, Please dot
(03:42):
AI hear what matters.
This week in the world of Stephen King, virtually every
headline centers on his high profile apology following a controversy
that erupted on social media in the immediate aftermath of
conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassination at Utah Valley University. Shortly
after news broke of Kirk's tragic shooting, came, took to
x the platform formerly known as Twitter, and claimed inaccurately
(00:34):
that Kirk had advocated stone and gaze to death. That
post sparked a massive backlash, with several users quickly producing
clips showing Kirk's support for LGBT rights instead, according to
The Independent. In Fox News, King deleted the tweet, issued
several public apologies, and clarified he had fallen for misinformation
(00:54):
circulating online, stating the horrible, evil, twisted liar apologized, this
is what I get for reading something on Twitter without
fact checking. Won't happen again. Senator Ted Cruz weighed in
publicly calling King a horrible, evil, twisted liar, and several
(01:17):
other politicians and media figures criticized the acclaimed offer and
suggested possible legal action, though there's no credible report yet
of any lawsuits. Filed. King also responded to the shooting itself,
calling the murder of Kirk another example of American gun violence.
His remarks quickly drew criticism from both sides of the
political divide, as many accused him of politicizing a tragedy.
(01:42):
The discussion dominated x for more than twenty four hours,
with King's deleted post amassing more than thirteen million views,
according to The Hindustan Times. The author repeatedly reiterated his apology,
emphasizing that Kirk never advocated violence against LGBT people and
noted that he regrets not verifying claims before posting on
(02:02):
such a sensitive topic. Throughout King's public persona as an
outspoken critic of Donald Trump and right wing politics was
front and center, but this time the backlash overwhelmed even
his sizeable base of supporters. In lighter news for King fans,
(02:30):
Adams State Theater in Colorado announced it will present a
stage adaptation of King's classic thriller Misery this fall, with
public performances starting September twenty sixth. This event is part
of the university's centennial celebration and is being promoted as
both a tribute to King's enduring cultural influence and a
kickoff to the Halloween season. No significant new business ventures
(02:56):
or fresh book deals have been reported this week, nor
did King make any major public appearances beyond responding to
the unfolding controversy online. He did not announce or promote
any new creative projects or novels since our last episode,
but his name has dominated trending topics due to the
Kirk coincident. Thanks for joining me for this episode of
(03:16):
Stephen King Biography Flash. If you want to stay up
to date on everything Stephen King, subscribe now and search
for Biography Flash for more great biographies. And that is
it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button
and never miss an update on Stephen King. Thanks for listening.
This has been a quiet please production quiet, Please dot
(03:42):
AI hear what matters.
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