Warning: May contain descriptions that some people find disturbing
The murder of Charlie Kirk continues to grab headlines around the world, with social media awash with condolences and complaints alike. Things are more heated than ever over on Elon Musk's X, especially in the aftermath of South Carolina's Nancy Mace saying, "Democrats own this," following Kirk's shooting at Utah Valley University.
A widening political divide has continued to split America since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, with Kirk being a staunch supporter of the Republican POTUS. Known for his 'Prove Me Wrong' table, Kirk was in the midst of his America Comeback Tour when he was shot in the neck with a single bullet.
Eyewitnesses report seeing 'fountains' of blood, while graphic videos have been circulating on social media.
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As the FBI continues its manhunt and two men arrested in connection with the shooting have been released, every day brings more questions than answers as the Left and the Right continue to bicker.
In the aftermath of some calling for Marvel's Chris Pratt to be fired from his role as Star-Lord for speaking out about Kirk but failing to acknowledge a Colorado school shooting, another big name has been drawn into the fracas and butted heads with Elon Musk.
Stephen King is an outspoken Democrat, with the author rallying behind Kamala Harris in the 2024 election and being a vocal supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. After Kirk's shooting, the IT and Carrie author took to X and wrote: "He advocated stoning gays to death. Just sayin."
King appears to be referring to an incident during Pride Month where children's show host Rachel Griffin-Accurso quoted the Bible and the importance of "[loving] every neighbor" while wishing people a happy Pride. Kirk went on to jumble passages from Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13, adding: "Thou shall lay with another man, shall be stoned to death. Just sayin'. The chapter affirms God's perfect law when it comes to sexual matter."
Someone asked Grok to confirm whether Kirk said gays should be 'stoned' to death, with Elon Musk's controversial AI clarifying: "No, Charlie Kirk did not explicitly advocate stoning gay people in modern society." Still, Grok also reminded us that Kirk said that while Uganda's anti-gay death penalty laws were 'extreme', they were a "step in the right direction."
Either way, King's musings have rattled Elon Musk, who responded by calling the author a 'liar'.
This isn't the first time the pair have exchanged cross words, with King having to settle rumors that he was thrown off X for calling Musk "Trump’s new first lady." In November 2024, King quipped that he didn't refer to Musk as that "but only because I didn’t think of it."
Back then, King wrote: "There’s also a rumor going around that Muskie kicked me off Twitter. Yet here I am."
As for their latest tussle, King is yet to respond to Musk calling him a liar, although the author has faced backlash from others.
One person wrote: "Long time fan! Do you know if you can recycle old books, or should I just throw all your old novels straight into the trash? I will never read another one of your books and immediately regret ever being a fan, Just sayin'."
Another added: "Do yourself a favor and delete your account. A young man and a father of 2 was murdered in cold blood."
Others backed King, with someone writing: "He deserves no honor. It's tragic what happened. And horrible. But he did more harm than good with his life."
A fourth controversial comment concluded: "He died from what he preached. God decided it that way, and the world keeps on turning."