Stephen King, the renowned American horror author, has apologized after claiming that Charlie Kirk “advocated stoning gays to death.”
In the hours after conservative provocateur Kirk was assassinated, The Shining author took issue with Fox News host Jesse Watters, who claimed that Kirk was not a “controversial” or “polarizing” man.
“He advocated stoning gays to death. Just sayin’,” King replied to Watters in a now-deleted post on X/Twitter. He has since rowed back from the remark after being heavily criticized by MAGA supporters.
King wrote: “I apologize for saying Charlie Kirk advocated stoning gays. What he actually demonstrated was how some people cherry-pick Biblical passages.”
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
After Senator Ted Cruz decried King as a “horrible, evil, twisted liar,” King responded: “This is what I get for reading something on Twitter w/o [without] fact-checking. Won’t happen again.”
King’s original claim refers back to comments made by Kirk in 2024, when attacking YouTuber Ms. Rachel for quoting “love your neighbor” to defend Pride celebrations.
Kirk said: “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.” He added: “Just sayin’.”
Kirk appeared to be referring to Leviticus 18:22, which states: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.”
Leviticus 20:13 adds: “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”
The manhunt for Kirk’s alleged killer appears to have come to an end. President Donald Trump said a suspect had been arrested, telling Fox & Friends: “I think with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody. Everyone did a great job.”
King’s apology comes on the same day Lionsgate releases The Long Walk, based on the author’s 1979 dystopian horror novel of the same name. The film stars Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza) and David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus) alongside Mark Hamill (Star Wars).
The Long Walk takes place in a disillusioned America that is entertained by a competition called The Long Walk— a challenge in which 50 teenage boys walk continuously without rest. As the journey continues, each competitor must keep walking faster than three miles per hour nonstop or risk being killed. The last boy remaining will earn a prize of their choosing.
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