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Horror author Stephen King has apologized after jokingly tweeting that the recent House Speaker election was as agonizing as a vacation in Utica.
The Misery writer, who is a frequent user on Twitter with more than 7 million followers, compared the upstate New York industrial city to the presidential debacle in which a vote to elect McCarthy as president of the House took 15 attempts over several days.
The speaker position is like that old joke: first prize is a week in Utica. Second prize is TWO weeks in Utica,’ he joked.
Horror author Stephen King has apologized for making a comment about New York state, comparing it to the controversy surrounding Kevin McCarthy’s battle for the presidency in the US House of Representatives.
The Misery writer, who is a frequent Twitter user with more than 7 million followers, likened the conference to a vacation in Utica, New York, in a tweet.
But Utica residents did not buy the taunt, and King’s wry comment was met with backlash from residents and lawmakers in the city of 65,000 who rose up to defend his reputation.
It came as it took McCarthy several days to win over 20 Republicans who did not initially support his presidency.
He ultimately won the position after 15 rounds of voting.
His comments seemed to strike a nerve with those associated with the city.
In the end, McCarthy narrowly won the presidency with 216 votes in the early hours of Saturday, January 7.
The comment was met with backlash from residents and lawmakers in the city of 65,000 who rose up to defend their reputations and were sensitive to King’s little joke.
Utica is a great city! Utica Councilman Delvin J. Moody tweeted. ‘I’m a utica native and proud to be. The spokesperson is a mess of groups.
“Hey man… Utica is a great city,” said New York Rep. Marcus Molinaro.
‘Utica is far from ‘The Dead Zone’ these days, Mr. King. Come see how #OneidaCounty has grown,’ Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. tweeted.
Others got personal with King: “You’re not funny and your books aren’t that good,” said one.
So what if you insult 330k in the metropolitan area!! So typical of the superior attitude you have about yourself? added another.
‘Hmmmmm… Semi-famous people who think it’s important and opinion matters…’ one Twitter user noted.
Remember when Stephen King was relevant? Yes, never,’ another chimed in.
King, author of The Shining, Carrie and other blockbusters, later apologized, acknowledging that his comment was inappropriate.
“Thank you for the apology Stephen King,” New York State Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted. ‘A reminder not to fight 20 million New Yorkers!’
Utica, New York, is famous for its history as a center of industry and immigration, particularly its role in the development of the American textile industry in the 19th century.
King, author of The Shining, Carrie and other blockbusters, later apologized, acknowledging that his comment was inappropriate.
‘I sincerely apologize to all the people of Utica whom I have offended. I guess I should have said Cleveland or Salt Lake City? he wrote.
“Thank you for the apology Stephen King,” New York State Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted. ‘A reminder not to fight 20 million New Yorkers!’
He also acknowledged that Utica has been referenced in his work before and that his daughter had even served as a minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church in the city.
Horror author Stephen King, 74, arrives in court in August 2022 to testify against his own publisher, Simon & Schuster, on behalf of the government during a trial in which the US Department of Justice is trying to convince a federal judge to block the proposal. merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster
Last year, King testified in a trial to block a $2.2 billion merger between Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, calling the proposed post-merger plans “a bit ridiculous.”
King told a court that if the two giant publishers merge and still fight each other over books, it will be like “husband and wife bidding each other for the same house.”
He is among a group of people opposing the $2.2 billion merger in the antitrust lawsuit, along with publishing executives and authors’ agents.
Penguin Random House, the largest book publisher in the United States, said it plans to buy rival Simon & Schuster in November 2020.
The publisher is owned by the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. Simon & Schuster is owned by ViacomCBS, now Paramount Global. The Justice Department filed its lawsuit in an attempt to block the merger in November 2021.
King is fighting his own publisher, Simon & Schuster, which has represented him for years, as many fear the ‘Big Five’ publishers will become four and hurt the industry.
He has published more than 60 novels and sold more than 350 million copies worldwide.
The pocket advance he received for Carrie in 1974 was $400,000, which today equals $2.4 million.