Stephen King initially made a false claim on social media that Charlie Kirk had advocated for stoning gays to death, which he posted shortly after Kirk was tragically shot. This statement caused significant backlash, with many calling King dishonest and hateful. Texas Senator Ted Cruz and others strongly condemned King’s remarks. King later deleted the post and issued multiple apologies, admitting he had not fact-checked his claim and had misunderstood Kirk's comments, which were about how some people cherry-pick biblical passages. King also compared Kirk’s assassination to the killings of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., calling them acts of cowardice. In summary, Stephen King incorrectly accused Charlie Kirk of advocating violence against gays, apologized multiple times after the backlash, retracted his claim, and acknowledged the error publicly.