Irony Alert – Toxic Stephen King Leaves X: ‘Tried to Stay, But It’s Become Too Toxic’
“It really changed. It grew dark.” Funny that a man who earned his fortune writing horror novels would find X dark.
Stephen King has become the latest celebrity to leave X since President-elect Donald Trump’s victory. In a brief farewell message to his seven million followers on Thursday, the King of Horror wrote, “I’m leaving Twitter. Tried to stay, but the atmosphere has just become too toxic. Follow me on Threads, if you like.”
And he was gone.
I'm leaving Twitter. Tried to stay, but the atmosphere has just become too toxic. Follow me on Threads, if you like.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) November 14, 2024
Earlier this week, rumors that King had been banned him from the platform for mocking Elon Musk’s friendship with Trump were swirling.
On Wednesday, in one of his final posts on X, King sought to quash those rumors. He wrote, “I see there’s a rumor going around that I called the Musk-man Trump’s new first lady. I didn’t, but only because I didn’t think of it. … There’s also a rumor going around that Muskie kicked me off Twitter. Yet here I am.”
He sounds pleasant, doesn’t he?
According to The Daily Mail, “King was referring to recent Musk memes, which were AI generated, and depicted the tech entrepreneur as Trump’s First Lady.” The article notes that the memes began after Musk appeared in a Trump family photo.
The Mail reported that on Wednesday, King posted a photo of his dog with the caption, “Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, considers putting the bite on the Musk-man.” The dog did not appear to be at all threatening but, then again, I once had a golden retriever named Ferosha.
I was not among King’s long list of followers, but apparently he frequently took aim at the “Musk-man” in his posts. Ahead of the election, he warned his followers that most of Musk’s posts “are pro-Trump disinformation and outright lies.”
[Note: The Mail provides screenshots of the aforementioned posts as well as images of the AI generated memes showing Musk dressed as “Trump’s First Lady.”]
Nobody on X seemed bothered by King’s departure. In fact, some users predicted he’ll be back once he realizes he won’t get quite as much attention on Threads as he did on X.
Ok see you in a couple days. Bye for now
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 14, 2024
See you next week when you get bored yelling into a pillow on threads
— Shawn Farash (@Shawn_Farash) November 15, 2024
Others pointed out the irony of King finding X to be “too toxic.” He compiled a list of some of King’s greatest hits.
Really, Stephen? Has it just suddenly become “too toxic?” pic.twitter.com/5rBnPz1qrP
— Frank McCormick (@CBHeresy) November 14, 2024
All King ever did was make blunt, edgy, and stupid political pronouncements and then he announces X had become toxic. Maybe he should have tweeted more about books and his craft. People would have welcomed him with open arms and still tolerated some disagreeable opinions. https://t.co/MiJuTA1Ksb
— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) November 15, 2024
Many made fun of the fact that celebrities feel the need to announce their exit. They don’t realize how little difference their presence, or the lack of it, makes.
“Celebrities” when they leave X. pic.twitter.com/AC2nxFZ4oq
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) November 14, 2024
And one commenter hopes that Rob Reiner is the next to go.
Stephen King is gone from X…
Now all eyes are on Rob Reiner…. pic.twitter.com/saQMDGoh9d
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) November 14, 2024
In case anyone is interested, King had a great first day at Threads. In one post, he said it’s been very “freeing” for him. In another, King wrote, “I quit Twitter. Eleven years, man. It really changed. It grew dark.” Funny that a man who earned his fortune writing horror novels would find X dark.
“Being here on Threads feels freeing.” 🤣 pic.twitter.com/ac3QwVZHcQ
— Chris Musselman (@TakeRightTurn) November 15, 2024
So Stephen King joined the long line of celebrities and high-profile journalists who have moved on from X since the election.
Once Musk opened up the platform to free speech and it was no longer the liberal echo chamber they had grown accustomed to, they became angry and frustrated. They began calling opinions or even facts they disagreed with “disinformation.” The platform had suddenly become “toxic” and “dark.” Some users began to feel “unsafe.” But Trump’s victory – and Musk’s part in it – proved to be the final straw.
Most have migrated either to Threads, a meta-owned platform, or to Bluesky.
Obviously, no company wants to lose business. But despite the departure of these “big names,” The Wrap reported on Friday that “X has still seen its daily user base increase 5% after the election” (according to Sensor Tower data).
Elizabeth writes commentary for The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation and a member of the Editorial Board at The Sixteenth Council, a London think tank. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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Comments
All these toxic characters should not be allowed to return.
You may think him toxic, but he is an enormously successful writer. I dislike his politics, but I can’t but admire his writing: I have read all of his books and most admired the following: The Shawshank Redemption, The Shining, Carrie, The Stand, Cujo, The Green Mile, The Dark Tower, Pet Cemetery, The Body, Apt Pupil, Under the Dome, I could go on and on. I refuse to condemn a gifted writer or artist just because I disagree with their politics.
That’s fine, but need I point out that quite a few gifted writers and artists also thought Hitler, Stalin, and Mao were the bee’s knees and had no problem defending.and supporting mass murder.
Stephen King and his novels are not like Hitler, Stalin or Mao. If you really think this, then are a hopeless degenerate.
JR, please improve your reading comprehension.
The article includes quotes taken directly from King’s Twitter feed. He is both vicious and toxic. That’s the main plot point of the article.
What you mean isitno longer your echo chamber. You have to defend your insanity and libs can’t do that.
On Twitter we’re our own bosses. We select and curate what we prefer to view in the same way we decide which books end up shelved in our private libraries.
Some objectionable things slip through into the “for you” category and I simply mute or block them.
So, yeah, King is simply another angry, impotent, authoritarian.
– As author he’s literally god-dictator and puppet master of the settings and characters he creates.
X isn’t toxic….. the curtains have been pulled back and the bright sunlight is toxic to King and his ilk. The really sad but very dangerous finding is that a large part of the US and other Western nations have significant mental problems with limited coping mechanisms. The harsher past was probably a major impediment for these peoples’ survival
enjoyed his writing
his politic sux.
i’m not on X so don’t care
have moved past his writings
good luck to him
don’t come back.
u closed that door
don’t reopen it.
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