Stephen King has said that he “admires Elon Musk”, prompting a disappointed response from his readers.
The author was commenting on Time magazine’s decision to name the Tesla CEO as 2021’s Person of the Year earlier this month.
Musk was named the most important figure of 2021 for his work in the electric cars industry, as well as his plans to take humanity to Mars and his interest in cryptocurrency.
King wrote on Tuesday (21 December): “I admire Elon Musk, but the real People of the Year are the doctors, nurses, first responders, and scientists who have worked so gallantly – there is no other word – to fight this deadly, constantly transforming virus.”
While King’s fans agreed with his follow-up comments, many took exception to his admiration of the controversial figure.
“I am quite surprised you find him admirable,” one of his followers wrote, with another adding: “A rare disagreement with Stephen King.”
One of King’s readers called it “the scariest thing you’ve ever written” with another Twitter user stating: “You lost me at, I admire Elon Musk.”
Musk has courted controversy over the years thanks to his spreading of misinformation regarding Covid-19 and his championing of cryptocurrencies, including Dogecoin.
After being named by Time’s Person of the Year, Musk’s ex-girlfriend, Grimes, seemingly poked fun at the magazine cover, writing: “And he cut his own hair for this pic too – icon.”
