Stephen King’s Woke Rhetoric Has Cost Him Fans

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Stephen King was once a great author who wrote thrilling stories about horror and suspense. But in the last few years, it seems as though he has been busy catering to the latest trends in social justice rather than focusing on his craft. This turn of events has left many of his fans disappointed, to say the least.

What Happened?

It all started when Stephen King began using his platform to voice support for progressive causes and the woke agenda. King was criticizing Republicans regularly on Twitter. He also began tweeting about how President Trump is a “shitty human being” and that he “belongs in jail.” It was clear that Stephen King had become a mouthpiece for the liberal agenda.

So many Republicans.
So little moral courage.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) October 15, 2022

Or consider Donald Trump: a supremely shitty human being with no talent at all.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) June 21, 2021

Donald Trump belongs in jail.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) February 8, 2022

The Problem with Woke Politics

The problem with this approach, however, is that it completely detracts from King’s work as an author. By choosing to get involved in politics, he has alienated his conservative readers and made himself an enemy of those who values open discourse and debate over censorship and political correctness. He may have already made his money, but his political views have betrayed his conservative fanbase, demonstrating a complete disregard for their support. Even worse, by taking such an extreme stance on social issues, he is setting himself up as a target for criticism from those on both sides of the aisle—a situation that could potentially damage his reputation as an author even further.

I was a Stephen King fan from about 13 or 14 years of age till about mid-2018 when he went from just bashing Trump to also bashing his voters. Below is my collection of Stephen King books currently sitting on my bookshelf. This is not my entire collection as I have loaned out books and failed to retrieve them over the years. I will never buy another Stephen King book again and these will soon be donated to our local Goodwill.

The Impact on His Fans

Ultimately, the biggest losers in this situation are Stephen King’s fans—the people who have supported him throughout his career by reading his books and watching his movies. The same fans that put him on the platform he uses to bash them. These fans are now left feeling betrayed by their favorite author’s sudden transformation into a woke celebrity—and they are not happy about it! Some have even gone so far as to call for boycotting any future projects involving Stephen King until he changes his stance on these topics or at least tones down the rhetoric.

This is so wrong on so many levels. Someone died, you should be ashamed but I am sure you're not. Spreading hate is not helpful. No longer a fan.

— Renée Burkhardt (@ReneeBurkhardt1) February 2, 2018

No longer a fan of yours. I’m gonna burn everyone of your books that are on my bookshelf, and that’s quite a few.

— BorderMom (@boxerbordermom) July 21, 2019

Stephen King’s descent into woke culture is certainly disappointing for many of his fans who have followed him since he first burst onto the literacy scene more than four decades ago. For those who consider themselves conservatives, it can be difficult to reconcile their love for his work with their disagreement with some of the stances he has taken in recent years. To many of his fans, Stephen King’s passion for the woke agenda is seen more as disingenuous pandering rather than genuine advocacy.

Stephen King out here pandering for a little extra Twitter love after 63% on rotten tomatoes https://t.co/QMasDzFZS0

— Elise (@elisehausman_) November 6, 2019

Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be any signs that this will change anytime soon; however, fans can still enjoy King’s past works without having to worry about being inundated with politics every time they pick up one of his books or watch one of his movies. In my opinion, politics should be kept out of art and Stephen King would do well to remember those fans that help build the platform that he uses to vilify them.

Let us know your thoughts.