What did Stephen King say about Charlie Kirk? Utah Senator Mike Lee says the author should be sued for defamation over comments

American author Stephen King is currently facing online backlash over his comments on the late conservative activist, Charlie Kirk. On September 11, King took to X and described Charlie’s fatal shooting as “another example of American gun violence.”

"The motivation of the man who shot Charlie Kirk isn't clear (although he's probably mentally unstable--duh). What is clear is that it was another example of American gun violence," the ‘King of Horror’ wrote.

In a follow-up post, Stephen King claimed that Kirk allegedly “advocated stoning gays to death. Just sayin’.” It was a response to Fox News journalist Jesse Watters’ tweet, where the latter called Kirk a “patriot.”

“Charlie Kirk was not a ‘controversial’ or ‘polarizing’ man. Charlie was a PATRIOT. THIS is a turning point, and we all need to turn in the right direction. Rest in peace, my friend,” Watters wrote by sharing a Fox News clip honoring the recently deceased TPUSA founder.

In the wake of his remarks, Stephen King has sparked online outrage, including from Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee.

He reposted the It author’s second tweet and wrote in his caption that

“the estate of Charlie Kirk should sue Stephen King for defamation over this heinously false accusation.” Lee added that King “crossed a line,” which will “prove costly.”

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Exploring Charlie Kirk’s views on the LGBTQ+ community and gun violence amid Stephen King's remarks

During a podcast episode last year, Charlie Kirk called out the queer community and denounced the “LGBTQ agenda,” according to The Independent. He also opposed same-sex marriage and quoted Leviticus 20:13 from the Bible, which calls for the death penalty for homosexuals and defines it as “God’s perfect law when it comes to sexual matters.”

In September 2024, Kirk lashed out at a gay college student in Wisconsin and stated:

“I don’t agree with your lifestyle. I don’t think you should introduce yourself just based on your sexuality because that’s not who you are.”

Around the same time, in another rally in Arizona, Charlie Kirk claimed that there were only two genders and wore a t-shirt with the words, “xy = man.” There, he also advocated against the trans community and gender-affirming care for them.

According to The Independent, in June this year, Charlie tweeted that it should be “legal” to burn PRIDE or Black Lives Matter flags in public.

“We should work to overturn every conviction for those arrested, fined, or otherwise harassed for the ‘hate crime’ of doing donuts over Pride flags painted on public streets. It should be legal to burn a rainbow or [Black Lives Matter] flag in public,” he wrote.

Kirk also called Uganda’s anti-gay policies, including the death penalty, a “step in the right direction,” although he agreed it was “extreme.”

Meanwhile, Charlie Kirk advocated in favor of gun rights and was a firearm owner himself, as per The Independent. In February 2018, he spoke on behalf of the National Rifle Association in the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Subsequently, at an April 2023 Turning Point USA event in Salt Lake City, Utah, Kirk was quoted as saying:

“It’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment.”

He also mentioned that gun rights were critical to “defend yourself against a tyrannical government.”

Notably, Charlie Kirk, 31, was speaking on gun violence when he was shot in the neck by a sniper and killed at a TPUSA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on September 10.

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Both Mike Lee and Stephen King have previously faced backlash for their comments on gun violence

When an attempt was made on Donald Trump’s life during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024, Stephen King had posted on X:

“An AR-15 style semiautomatic rifle was used in the Butler shooting. These are the guns the Republican Party—and Trump—want to protect.”

Stephen King received similar backlash at the time.

As for Mike Lee, his response to the 2025 shootings of Minnesota Democratic politicians sparked controversy. On June 14, former House Speaker of the state Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were fatally shot, while Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were injured.

“This is what happens when Marxists don’t get their way,”

Lee wrote on X back then, alongside an image of the suspected shooter, Vance Boelter, wearing a latex face mask.

There is no evidence to suggest Boelter alluded to Marxism, according to The Guardian. In a follow-up post, Mike Lee seemingly took a dig at Kamala Harris’ running mate Tim Walz by posting another picture of Boelter and writing, “Nightmare on Walz Street.”

At the time, Lee faced backlash online for not expressing his sympathies at the shootings of Minnesota Democrats. State Senator Tina Smith confronted him and called it “brutal and cruel,” as per CNN.

“He should think about the implications of what he’s saying and doing,” Smith added.

Lee didn’t respond to Tina. However, he subsequently deleted his tweets. Now, in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, Mike Lee’s reaction has once again earned him backlash for reacting differently to gun violence within a few months.

On Wednesday, Lee denounced Kirk’s killing as a “cowardly act of violence” and praised the deceased as an “American patriot” who he described as an “inspiration to countless young people,” in a post on X.

Before that, he spoke with reporters at a gathering on the campus of the same university where Kirk was killed.

“The terrorists will not win, Charlie will,” he noted.

The Utah Republican Senator also hailed Kirk’s “boundless energy and great love for his country,” and called his demise “horrific.” Lee concluded by saying that Kirk called him and was excited about his Utah visit.

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Donald Trump mourned Charlie Kirk’s death on Truth Social. A manhunt is currently ongoing, while the motive behind the assassination remains unclear. Kirk is survived by his wife Erika and their two children.