Stephen King addresses ‘rumor’ Elon Musk has banned him from X over brutal Trump joke
It was claimed Musk was left furious over a quip about his friendship with the president-elect
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Stephen King has addressed a “rumor” about Elon Musk after claims the author was banned from X/Twitter.
The writer has spoken out against Musk numerous times, making no secret of his dislike for the billionaire.
In the run-up to the 2024 US presidential election, King questioned Musk’s defence of Donald Trump and, in the days after Trump’s victory, has repeatedly poked fun at Tesla and SpaceX founder Musk for his staunch support of the president-elect.
It was claimed this week that King, 77, had made a jibe that angered Musk, 53, so much that he blocked the Shining and ‘Salem’s Lot author from posting on X/Twitter, which Musk owns. According to the rumor, King had jokingly referred to Musk as Trump’s “first lady”.
Now, in the hours after it was revealed Musk will jointly lead a new US department set to advise the president-elect on how to make savings in the federal government, King has responded to these claims.
“I see there’s a rumor going around that I called the Musk-man Trump’s new first lady,” he wrote, adding: “I didn’t, but only because I didn’t think of it.”
King continued: “There’s also a rumor going around that Muskie kicked me off Twitter. Yet here I am.”
Earlier this year, King was “trolled” by Musk after X/Twitter introduced a new policy that wiped all pre-existing blue ticks on verified accounts, revealing that they would only be given to those who subscribed to the site.
However, King, who had been a vocal critic of Musk’s plan to remove free verification status, was confused to see he still had a blue tick despite not subscribing.
The author wrote: “My Twitter account says I’ve subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven’t. My Twitter account says I’ve given a phone number. I haven’t.” In response to King, Musk wrote: “You’re welcome namaste.”
After Trump’s election win, many celebrities from the world of film, TV and music shared their reactions, with numerous stars who had endorsed his Democratic rival Kamala Harris expressing sadness at the result.
One such star was King, who wrote: “There’s a sign you can see in many shops that sell beautiful but fragile items: LOVELY TO LOOK AT, DELIGHTFUL TO HOLD, BUT ONCE YOU BREAK IT, THEN IT’S SOLD. You can say the same about democracy.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments