'King of Horror' Stephen King apologises for post suggesting slain Charlie Kirk 'advocated stoning gays'

Los Angeles: Literary horror icon Stephen King, best known for his supernatural horror books such as 'It', 'The Shining', 'Misery', and 'The Dark Tower' series, has apologised for claiming that slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk had "advocated stoning gays".

King made his initial claim in a now-deleted social media post written after the activist was shot and killed Sept. 10 at an event he was hosting at Utah Valley University.

"I apologise for saying Charlie Kirk advocated stoning gays. What he actually demonstrated was how some people cherry-pick Biblical passages," the 77-year-old wrote on X, in reference to a 2024 podcast session during which Kirk had criticised popular children YouTuber Ms Rachel who cited God's wish for all Christians to "love thy neighbour," reports Variety.

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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 >

The now deceased activist in response said "By the way, Ms. Rachel, you might want to crack open that Bible of yours. In a lesser reference, part of the same part of scripture, in Leviticus 18, is that 'thou shall lay with another man shall be stoned to death.' Just saying."

The horror author was slammed for his initial post by far right supporters and conservatives, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz who called King a "horrible, evil, twisted liar."

King apologised for his comments in a sarcastic reply to Cruz, saying, "The horrible, evil, twisted liar apologises. This is what I get for reading something on Twitter without fact-checking. Won't happen again."

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The horrible, evil, twisted liar apologizes. This is what I get for reading something on Twitter w/o fact-checking. Won't happen again. https://t.co/L7fL2Ml4eR

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) September 12, 2025 >

A prominent presence on social media, King is well known for his politically controversial outspoken thoughts, being highly critical of President Donald Trump, whom he called the 'worst' leader in US history.