Stephen King quits ‘toxic’ X

Famed American horror writer Stephen King has announced his departure from X, describing the social media platform as having become “too toxic.” The novelist earlier denied that X owner Elon Musk had kicked him off over a disparaging personal comment.

The tech mogul purchased X, then called Twitter, back in 2022, rebranding the platform and revamping or doing away with many of its policies. These changes have elicited the ire of a number of NGOs and activists, who claim that Musk condones “hate speech” on X, an allegation denied by the billionaire.

In a post on X on Thursday, King, often dubbed the “King of Horror,” wrote: “I’m leaving Twitter. Tried to stay, but the atmosphere has just become too toxic.” He added that his fans could follow him on Threads – a rival platform launched by Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta.

A day before, King denied rumors that “Muskie kicked me off Twitter,” referring to the platform’s owner. He also rebutted claims that he had described Musk as “[President-elect Donald] Trump’s new first lady.”

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The novelist, a fierce critic of Trump, had previously dismissed as “ridiculous” Musk’s comment during the presidential campaign suggesting that the Republican’s rival in the election, Vice President Kamala Harris, “wants to break the constitution.”

In the wake of Trump’s victory, several celebrities and media personalities have also left X.

Among them is CNN anchor Don Lemon, also a long-time detractor of the GOP firebrand. In a video on Instagram, he said: “I once believed [X] was a place for honest debate and discussion, transparency, and free speech, but I now feel it does not serve that purpose.”

During the course of 2022 and 2023, several high-profile advertisers abandoned X, accusing Musk of failing to do enough to combat hate speech.

For years, Musk had avoided publicly aligning with either the Republicans or Democrats, positioning himself as politically neutral. However, during the latest presidential campaign, the entrepreneur drifted to the right, increasingly criticizing the administration of President Joe Biden. In the wake of the failed assassination attempt on Trump on July 13, Musk proclaimed his support for the Republican nominee and subsequently emerged as one of Trump’s top donors.

Since the election, Musk has repeatedly been seen together with the president-elect, including during phone calls with foreign leaders.

The incoming president announced on Thursday that Musk will head the future Department of Government Efficiency, a body that will aim to cut down on “waste and fraud” in federal government spending.