Stephen King Gets Humbled for Lying About Charlie Kirk

Stephen King has apologized for falsely claiming that conservative activist Charlie Kirk had “advocated stoning gays.”

The 77-year-old author made the statement in a social media post on X following the tragic shooting of Kirk at an event he was hosting at Utah Valley University on September 10. King later deleted the post.

“I apologize for saying Charlie Kirk advocated stoning gays. What he actually demonstrated was how some people cherry-pick Biblical passages,” King wrote.

Stephen King has since apologized multiple times, although some fans claim the apology was largely motivated by the potential for Kirk’s estate to sue him.

In this case, it seems that King genuinely learned a lesson about fact-checking, something we should all do. In heated ideological “debates,” we can’t always rely on either side to avoid muddying the waters, sometimes significantly, as in this case.

The original claim was based on comments Kirk made on his podcast in 2024. In those comments, Kirk criticized children’s YouTube star Ms. Rachel for quoting God’s commandment to “love thy neighbor” from Leviticus, emphasizing that it should include gay people.

Kirk also referenced a passage from Leviticus 18, noting, “Thou shall lay with another man shall be stoned to death. Just saying.”

King’s post sparked widespread criticism, particularly from conservatives. Texas Senator Ted Cruz called the author a “horrible, evil, twisted liar.” King responded to Cruz on social media, “The horrible, evil, twisted liar apologizes. This is what I get for reading something on Twitter [without] fact-checking. Won’t happen again.”

The apology comes amid developments in the investigation of Kirk’s shooting. President Trump spoke on Fox News Friday, confirming that a suspect had been arrested.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox later identified the suspect as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson from Utah. According to the governor, Robinson had told a family friend that he was involved in the shooting, which led to his arrest.

Stephen King’s quick apology shows how important it is to verify information before posting online, especially on sensitive topics. This incident also highlights the dangers of spreading unverified claims on social media. What do you think about how this situation unfolded? Share your thoughts in the comments.