Author Stephen King has issued a public apology after falsely accusing Charlie Kirk of endorsing violence against gay people.
King, best known for horror classics such as It and The Shining, wrote on X that Kirk had “advocated stoning gays to death.” The post, made in the days following Kirk’s September 10 assassination at Utah Valley University, was later deleted after critics blasted the claim as misleading.
King would later apologize for his comment:
I apologize for saying Charlie Kirk advocated stoning gays. What he actually demonstrated was how some people cherry-pick Biblical passages.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) September 12, 2025
King’s comments stemmed from a 2024 episode of Kirk’s podcast in which the conservative activist pushed back on children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel’s interpretation of the Bible. Kirk noted that Leviticus 18 contained passages about same-sex relationships being punished by stoning, but did not call for such actions himself.
King faced sharp criticism online, including from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who called the author a “horrible, evil, twisted liar.”
King responded directly to Cruz, writing, “The horrible, evil, twisted liar apologizes. This is what I get for reading something on Twitter w/o fact-checking. Won’t happen again.”
I appreciate that @StephenKing deleted the false tweet about @charliekirk11 and apologized.
All of us—on both sides of the aisle—should treat each other with respect & decency, even if we disagree on politics.
Charlie did that every day, and I admired him for it. https://t.co/6niS7HlaIT
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 12, 2025
NBC New York reported that backlash against King intensified because of the timing of his post, which came just after Kirk’s death. The 31-year-old Turning Point USA founder was assassinated at an outdoor campus event, and apparent inscriptions on bullets connected with the rifle of the accused shooter have led many to believe the killing was motivated by hatred of Kirk’s views.
The firestorm over King’s remarks comes as media coverage of Kirk’s life and death faces scrutiny. The New York Times issued a correction last week after wrongly attributing an antisemitic comment to Kirk in a profile of his political views. The paper acknowledged Kirk had been quoting and critiquing a social media post, not making the statement himself.
The Times continued to note that Kirk faced repeated accusations of antisemitism, including from some conservatives, while also emphasizing his outspoken support for Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described him as a “once-in-a-generation” figure and praised him as a defender of “Judeo-Christian civilization,” per Fox News.