"The king of horror" Stephen King hinted at retirement.
Stephen King, who turned 78 this year, told USA Today in a recent interview, "It's time to clear my desk," adding, "Aging is like the expiration of a warranty. Nothing is owed to you anymore." He went on to suggest the possibility of retirement, saying, "I want to rest for a while while my health allows."
He plans to stop writing for a while after finishing two new books. "Once you pass 75, I can't guarantee what comes after. Life can change at any time. Just as I had that car accident in my prime, you never know what might happen next," he added.
The remarks drew greater attention because they came right after a recent controversy. In September, King was criticized for inappropriate remarks about conservative commentator the late Charlie Kirk. He tweeted on X (formerly Twitter) that "Kirk advocated the execution of gay people," but when that proved untrue he issued a public apology, saying, "It was my mistake for reading the tweet without fact-checking." Charlie Kirk was fatally shot last month.
King also confessed recently that he fears "Is this the start of dementia?" whenever he can't think of a word, and he mentioned the case of British author Terry Pratchett, who died of Alzheimer's disease.
Still, Hollywood continues to indulge in King's work. This year alone, the films The Monkey and The Long Walk were box-office hits, MGM+'s The Institute has been confirmed for a second season, and HBO's It – Welcome to Derry is set to premiere on Oct. 26.
Stephen King, who debuted in 1974 with the novel Carrie, left behind numerous masterpieces such as The Shining, Misery, It and The Shawshank Redemption, and for half a century has been the symbol of horror literature.
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