Author Stephen King announced Thursday that he is leaving social media platform X, citing a “toxic” environment.
“I'm quitting Twitter. I tried to stay, but the atmosphere has become too toxic. Follow me on the thread if you'd like,” King wrote in Thursday's post. Post to X.
The announcement came just one day after the horror book author said he was not banned from Platform X, which is owned by billionaire Elon Musk.
“There seems to be a rumor going around that I called Trump's new first lady, the masked man,” he said. “I didn't, but it just didn't occur to me. There are also rumors going around that Masky kicked me off Twitter. But I'm still here.”
He has been a longtime critic of President-elect Trump. Dr. King said President Trump's first administration was “more frightening” than his best-selling novel.
“[The] The simple answer to that is, yes, it is,” King said. “I think that's scarier.”
The author has criticized Musk, who is an ardent supporter of Trump. Mr. King clashed with the entrepreneur over his decision to initially charge X (then called Twitter) users $20 to maintain their authentication.
“Twenty dollars a month to keep my blue check? That's what they should pay me. If that's enacted, I'll be gone like Enron,” King says. Mr. Musk replied: You can't rely completely on advertisers. How about eight dollars?”
King was one of many public figures to express disappointment and shock after Trump's victory over Vice President Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
“There's a sign that you see in a lot of stores that sell beautiful but fragile items that say, 'It's lovely to look at, it's fun to hold, but once you break it, it's sold,'” King said.
“The same goes for democracy,” he added.
The Hill has reached out to X for comment.
