Master of Horror, Stephen King, Posts a Confusing Message About the Epstein Client List to X

When it comes to wrapping trauma and fear into a nice little horror bow, few do it better than Stephen King. He has been the man responsible for countless sleepless nights for more than five decades. Thanks to Mr. King, we have learned about the fine art of retribution in Carrie, the importance of courage in The Shining, and the crucial lesson that is respecting the dead in Pet Sematary. As a reminder, "Sometimes, dead is better."

Some folks don't know that Stephen is also someone who can take on the relentlessness of the human spirit. He wrote the novella that The Shawshank Redemption was based on, as well as the serial novels that would later become The Green Mile. It's difficult to put Stephen King in one box. On social media, he dips his toes into politics and sometimes gets a bit of pushback for his opinions. In July 2025, the author dropped a post about Jeffrey Epstein that many found confusing.

Based on Stephen's politically-charged posts, it's safe to assume he's a liberal who is probably a registered Democrat. This was confirmed in October 2024 when he donated more than $400,000 to Democratic candidates in Maine, per the Portland Press Herald. That brings us to July 2025, where we are six months into President Donald Trump's second presidency. Things are bleak.

There is much to criticize about President Trump's second term. From his shocking immigration policies to the constantly changing tariffs, the president has barely kept any of the promises he made on the campaign trail. This also includes his dedication to being more transparent about the Epstein client list, which Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and FBI Director Kash Patel assured definitely exists.

Seemingly out of nowhere, the conversation around Epstein changed. Not only were the American people told there is no client list, but the messaging out of the White House was to move on from this obsession. The same people who fanned the flames were now telling the world that a fire never existed. In response to that, Stephen King posted to X that, "The Epstein client list is real. So is the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus." Does this mean he doesn't think it's real?

As per usual, no one in Stephen's replies was particularly chill. They did not care for the insinuation that the Epstein client list isn't real. The first reply was from someone asking Grok how many times the author has written and published "child pornography." Shockingly, Grok's response was measured and provided useful context.

"Stephen King has never written or published child pornography," responded the AI chatbot. It went on to say that "fictional depictions in books like IT (with its infamous underage group scene as a metaphor for bonding and maturity) don't qualify as such." This is an accurate response and does sum up what happens in one part of IT. Grok later described this scene as provocative art.

Stephen King returned to X in order to explain his Epstein joke. "Boy, I hit a nerve with that Epstein post," he wrote. "The 'list' is like UFOs: Everyone knows someone who’s seen one."