Legendary author Stephen King announced his departure from X (formerly Twitter), calling the platform "too toxic" to endure. The author of ‘The Shining’ and ‘Shawshank Redemption’ shared his decision in a post on Thursday, writing, “I’m leaving Twitter. Tried to stay, but the atmosphere has just become too toxic.” Inviting his 7 million followers to join him on Mark Zuckerberg’s Threads, he added, “Follow me on Threads, if you like.”
King’s exit comes amid growing criticism of X under Elon Musk’s ownership. The billionaire, who acquired the platform for $44 billion in 2022, has been accused of fostering an environment that critics argue enables hate speech and misinformation.
King, a vocal critic of Musk, has had numerous public spats with the Tesla CEO, including one over the introduction of fees for blue verification ticks. "Twenty dollars a month to keep my blue check? Fuck that, they should pay me. If that gets instituted, I’m gone like Enron,” King had tweeted at the time.
He also had expressed his admiration for Musk at a point calling him a 'visionary' but maintained he was not the right fit for Twitter.
"I think Elon Musk is a visionary. Almost singlehandedly, he’s changed the way Americans think about automobiles. I have a Tesla and love it. That said, he’s been a terrible fit for Twitter. He appears to be making it up as he goes along," he had wrote in 2022.
The latest controversy arose on Wednesday when King refuted claims that he had called Musk “Trump’s new first lady.” Musk responded with a casual “Hi Steve!” on X, seemingly brushing off the dispute, as the SpaceX CEO joins Donald Trump in his latest presidency leading the Department of Government Efficiency advisory commission.
King isn’t the only prominent figure abandoning X. Oscar-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis announced her departure on Instagram, quoting the Serenity Prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. Courage to change the things I can. And the wisdom to know the difference.”
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon joined the exodus, condemning X for losing its status as a space for “honest debate and discussion, transparency, and free speech.”
Even institutions are opting out. German football club St Pauli declared the platform a "hate machine" as it ceased its activity on X. Meanwhile, British newspaper The Guardian cited "often disturbing content" as its reason for discontinuing posts from its official accounts.
King’s departure signals a broader dissatisfaction with X under Musk’s leadership, where critics argue the platform prioritises engagement at the expense of accountability. Musk’s decision to roll back content moderation policies and promote controversial figures has sparked a debate over the role of social media in society.
As alternative platforms like Threads and Bluesky gain traction, X faces the growing challenge of retaining users disillusioned by its direction.
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