Stephen King, a Sarasota resident, apologizes for false claim about Charlie Kirk

Longtime Sarasota County resident and celebrity author Stephen King has repeatedly apologized for a false accusation he made about conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot on a Utah college campus on Sept. 10 and also owned a waterfront home in Sarasota.

"The Long Walk" author claimed in a now-deleted X post that the 31-year-old political commentator previously advocated for the act of throwing stones to kill gay people. He later retracted the statement and expressed regret for taking a comment Kirk made on his podcast last year out of context.

In 2024, Kirk criticized children's YouTuber Ms. Rachel for arguing that the bible verse "love thy neighbor" in the Leviticus 18 scripture should apply to gay people. On the podcast, Kirk said: "by the way, Ms. Rachel, you might want to crack open that Bible of yours. In a lesser reference, part of the same part of scripture, is in Leviticus 18, is that ‘thou shall lay with another man shall be stoned to death.' Just saying."

What did Stephen King say in his apology about Charlie Kirk?

"I apologize for saying Charlie Kirk advocated stoning gays. What he actually demonstrated was how some people cherry-pick Biblical passages," King wrote on X on Sept. 12.

Among those who condemned King's initial post was Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who responded to the post calling the "It" writer a "horrible, evil, twisted liar."

"The horrible, evil, twisted liar apologizes," King replied. "This is what I get for reading something on Twitter (without) fact-checking. Won't happen again."

Cruz later responded on X adding that he appreciates King' apologizing and deleting the post.

"All of us — on both sides of the aisle — should treat each other with respect & decency, even if we disagree on politics," Cruz wrote. "Charlie did that every day, and I admired him for it."

King repeatedly apologized in three other X posts in response to criticisms including one from biologist Colin Wright who wrote "it's exactly this kind of extreme rhetoric that encourages people to commit violence."

The apology come after President Donald Trump blamed rhetoric for Kirk's death in video-taped remarks released on Sept. 10. He said the "radical left" were "directly responsible for the terrorism that we're seeing in our country today."

TV host Jimmy Kimmel condemed Trump for blaming Democrats for their rhetoric instead of trying to bring Americans together after tragedy.

Where did Charlie Kirk own a home in Sarasota County?

Kirk, a strong Trump ally who urged students and young people to get involved in politics, owned a home on the Sarasota County side of Longboat Key, which also counts U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan among its conservative residents.

Kirk purchased a two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo on Longboat Key for $855,000 in 2019, property records show. It is not known how much time he spent in Sarasota County. His primary residence reportedly was in Phoenix.

Kirk, originally from the Chicago area, had millions of listeners on the Charlie Kirk Show, which could be viewed on the social media platform Rumble.

Longboat Key is home to Rumble, the conservative YouTube alternative that moved its headquarters from Toronto to Sarasota County in 2021. Vice President JD Vance is a major investor, and founder Chris Pavlovski owns a house on Siesta Key, records show.

Other conservatives tied to Longboat Key include Publix heiress Julie Jenkins Fancelli, who reportedly gave $650,000 to January 6 organizers; former congresswoman Katherine Harris, who oversaw Florida’s 2000 presidential recount and was once named the island’s citizen of the year; and Kayleigh McEnany, Trump’s former spokesperson and current Fox News commentator, records show.

How long has Stephen King lived in Sarasota County?

After being struck by a van in 1999 while walking near his Maine home and suffering various injuries including a collapsed lung, broken ribs and numerous pelvic, hip and leg fractures, Stephen King rented a condo overlooking the Gulf on Longboat Key. 

King and his wife, Tabitha, who have three children, then bought a waterfront home on Casey Key in 2001. The sale price, $8.9 million, was reportedly a record for a house in Sarasota County. The couple bought a second Casey Key home, for $2.2 million, in 2007.

About eight months later, King published “Duma Key,” his first novel set in Florida. The Herald-Tribune noted the book included numerous local references including Palm Avenue art galleries and “an art critic bearing a striking resemblance to former Herald-Tribune critic Joan Altabe.” It wouldn’t be the last time King used a Sarasota public figure as a character in one of his novels.

“We liked Sarasota because it was funky,” King told the Herald-Tribune in 2009. “We liked Pineapple Street and all the art on Palm Avenue. The town was terrific and we loved it .... I just go around and hang out and people generally don’t bother me, and if they do they’re pleasant. I’m sort of dedicated to the idea of living a life. I’m not a museum exhibit or a department store dummy or any of those things. I’m just a guy.” 

In 2016, King contributed an essay to the Herald-Tribune's “John D and me” series and then about a week later shared a stage in Bradenton with fellow bestselling author John Grisham to raise funds for The Manatee County Library Foundation. King gave an exclusive interview to the Herald-Tribune in 2017 before a Bookstore1Sarasota signing. 

“I love to come to this place because they have everything, they hand-sell, it’s well-lighted, you can browse,” King said. “I can’t browse as freely as I used to because people come up and say, ‘Are you him?’”

King’s 2019 novel “The Institute” features a cameo by former Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino. “It was almost like winning an award,” DiPino, who is also Sarasota’s first female police chief, told the Herald-Tribune. “The only thing that tops this is maybe being a main character that’s killed off by a monster or something.”

Wade Tatangelo is Ticket Editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Florida Regional Dining and Entertainment Editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and X. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. Support local journalism by subscribing.