Stephen King has apologized after falsely claiming in a social media post that Charlie Kirk had “advocated stoning gays to death.”
Kirk, 31, was shot dead on Wednesday during his ‘American Comeback Tour’ at Utah Valley University. A suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested last night.
On X/Twitter, horror author King had responded to a post by Fox News host Jesse Watters that claimed that Kirk was not “controversial” or “polarizing.”
King wrote: “He advocated stoning gays to death. Just sayin’,” in a since-deleted post.
After several social media users posted evidence of Kirk speaking in support of LGBT rights, King took down his original tweet and wrote: “I apologize for saying Charlie Kirk advocated stoning gays. What he actually demonstrated was how some people cherry-pick Biblical passages.”
Senator Ted Cruz then got involved, calling King a “horrible, evil, twisted liar.”
King responded: “The horrible, evil, twisted liar apologizes. This is what I get for reading something on Twitter w/o fact-checking. Won’t happen again.”
King also replied to several other posts criticizing him, writing: “I have apologized,” “I have apologized. Charlie Kirk never advocated stoning gays to death,” and “I was wrong, and I apologize. I have deleted the post.”
The 77-year-old Shining and Carrie novelist is an outspoken Trump critic, previously branding him a “bully” while also suggesting his supporters will eventually deny they voted for him.
According to investigators, accused killer Tyler Robinson told family members that Kirk was “full of hate” in the months before the shooting.
The 22-year-old was apprehended by authorities Thursday evening after more than a day of searching for him. Officials said they were informed Robinson “confessed” or at least implied he fatally shot Kirk to a family member.
“We got him,” Utah Governor Spencer Cox said to start a Friday press conference.
Cox said the assassination of Kirk was an attack on all Americans and free speech. He also condemned the political violence.
“I still believe in our country and I know Charlie Kirk believed in our country,” Cox said in an emotional speech at the end of the press conference. “Still believe that there is more good among us than evil, and I still believe that we can change the course of history.”
Kirk was the co-founder of Turning Point USA, a nonprofit dedicated to engaging with high school and college-aged individuals on campuses. Kirk had dedicated most of his life to representing conservative beliefs and engaging in debate to spread right-wing policies to young people.
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