5 Times Stephen King Feuded With Other Celebrities

He may be one of—if not the—masters of horror, but Stephen King isn't afraid of a little confrontation.

Much like Annie Wilkes, the opinionated-to-a-fault antagonist of his hit 1987 novel Misery, King is known for speaking his mind, both in the press and on social media where he's active on platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and Threads.

Over the years the celebrated author has found himself in feuds, both lasting and fleeting, with a number of other celebrities, including some of his literary peers.

READ MORE: Stephen King Wishes This Scary, Edge-of-Your-Seat Movie Was His

Whether he's taking a dig at another well-known author's writing style (or lack thereof) in an interview, criticizing a politician online, or full-on beefing with a famous film director, King doesn't mince his words—neither the words printed nor spoken.

Below, check out five times Stephen King feuded publicly with other famous people.

Stephen King vs. J.K. Rowling

Seemingly casual but longtime friends Stephen King and J.K. Rowling appeared to have a falling out over the past few years when King, who had previously praised Rowling's writing in the past, openly criticized the Harry Potter creator's harmful views against the trans community.

It started in 2020 when King was asked by a fan online what he thought about trans rights. "Trans women are women," he tweeted.

Not long after King made his stance known, Rowling deleted a tweet she had posted praising the Carrie author.

Months later, King clarified in a tweet, "My opinion is that Jo Rowling is wrong about trans women. Leave sh---y and hateful out of it, please."

Speaking to The Daily Beast, King claimed that Rowling blocked him on social media after his tweets supporting the trans community.

"Jo canceled me. She sorta blocked me and all that. Here’s the thing: She is welcome to her opinion. That’s the way that the world works. If she thinks that trans women are dangerous, or that trans women are somehow not women, or whatever problem she has with it—the idea that someone ‘masquerading’ as a woman is going to assault a ‘real’ woman in the toilet—if she believes all those things, she has a right to her opinion," he said.

In 2024, the two were back to playfully quipping with each other on social media.

Stephen King vs. Donald Trump

Out of all the famous people Stephen King has feuded with, Donald Trump might just be his favorite nemesis to throw shade at.

King has decried Trump's political policies, rhetoric and general personality for years, going so far as to call the controversial current president "dangerous."

In 2022, he told The Sunday Times: "I happen to think that Trump was a horrible president and is a horrible person. I think he actually engaged in criminal behavior and, certainly, I felt that he was a sociopath who tried to overturn the American democracy not out of any political wish of his own but because he could not admit that he had lost."

And ahead of the 2024 presidential election, King tweeted, "Voters saying they trust Trump with the economy is like saying you trust a drunk 17-year-old in a Corvette to drive you home safe."

In February 2024, King returned to X (formerly Twitter) to slam Trump again, calling him "a traitorous, Putin-loving dips--t!"

Stephen King vs. Stephanie Myer

In 2009, Stephen King came under fire for taking a sudden and one-sided swipe at Twilight author Stephanie Meyer in an interview.

While discussing his disdain for some fellow authors, King sank his teeth into Meyer's writing abilities while also comparing her to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.

"Both Rowling and Meyer, they’re speaking directly to young people. The real difference is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good," King said, according to The Guardian.

Naturally, King's comments didn't sit too well with passionate Twilight fans, who blasted the horror writer online.

Stephen King vs. Stanley Kubrick

It's been over 40 years since the release of 1980's The Shining and Stephen King is still Stanley Kubrick's most devoted hater—at least when it comes to the late film auteur's adaptation of King's 1977 novel.

Though considered by many to be one of the best horror films ever made, King has never been a fan of Kubrick's take on the Torrance family's plight at the Overlook Hotel.

The author has blasted the late Shelley Duvall's Wendy as "one of the most misogynistic characters ever put on film" and even criticized Jack Nicholson's portrayal of Jack.

King's biggest criticism, however, has always been toward Kubrick's direction of the film, which he's referred to as "cold" and likened to "a big, beautiful Cadillac with no engine inside it."

To be fair, Kubrick's adaptation is quite different from the tone of King's book. Still, King may have taken his distaste for the otherwise acclaimed film too far when he declared he absolutely "hated the result." Ouch.

Stephen King vs. Elon Musk

It's no secret Stephen King isn't a fan of Donald Trump's largest 2024 campaign donor, Elon Musk.

The author has been critical of Musk's billionaire influence over the election—as well as his influence over Trump and his administration—since at least last year, taking aim at Musk's controversial H-1B visa stance and even claiming that Musk is "running the show" behind the scenes of the presidency.

A few days after the 2024 election, King announced he was leaving X, which is owned by Musk, because it had become "too toxic."

A few months later, King bounced back onto the social media platform, declaring, "I'm baaaack! Did you miss me?"

"I did [to be honest]," the SpaceX owner replied to King.

King wasn't done tweeting though. "Just wanted to say that Trump is a traitorous, Putin-loving dips--t! Goes double for Elon!" he wrote.