Many of King’s followers, who are accustomed to his outspoken criticism of former President Donald Trump, were surprised by the tone of the tweet. Responses poured in questioning his intent.
Award-winning horror writer Stephen King ignited a backlash on social media on Tuesday after tweeting something that seemed to ridicule the long-rumored Jeffrey Epstein client list. The tweet, posted on X (Twitter), quickly earned criticism from followers and critics alike.
"The Epstein client list exists. So does the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus," King tweeted.
The tweet caused confusion and outrage because it seemed to rule out the likelihood that a list of influential people involved in Epstein's criminal enterprise ever existed.
Several of King's followers, who have grown used to the outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump, were taken aback by the wording of the tweet. Comments flowed asking what he meant to say.
One commenter responded, "C'mon dude. Obviously Epstein had clients who could be listed." Another said, "I didn't anticipate this take from you."
Others were more critical, suggesting that King was siding with Trump or avoiding deeper realities. "The only time you side with Trump is to defend child rape?" one commenter wrote. Another theorized, "Sounds like someone has something to hide."
So far, Stephen King has not made a subsequent clarification of what he meant in the tweet, and so far, there are guesses on his motivations. Others tried interpreting him more generously, that perhaps what the author was criticizing was the political use being made of the Epstein list story, which may not necessarily be a denial of any wrongdoing.
"Perhaps he's telling us that the list never existed and Trump simply employed the 'list' to gain the election," one user suggested.
The backlash is coming at the time of renewed focus on the Department of Justice (DOJ), which just overturned its stance on unveiling Epstein-related documents. In the 2024 campaign, Trump's administration had vowed to declassify the documents. But the DOJ has now informed that the documents will not be declassified.
Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who had initially asserted the documents were "on her desk," later acknowledged that the case was indeed closed. The about-face has even elicited criticism from some of Trump's own supporters, who call for transparency in the Epstein case.
In spite of widespread speculation that such a list does exist, the DOJ still claims that no such client list exists to publish.
