Stephen King Mocks Utica On Twitter; Residents Ask "Why Us?"

Stephen King isn’t just a master of horror; he’s a master of Twitter. He’s never shied away from tweeting his unfiltered beliefs on any subject from books and pop culture to politics. Now after feuding with everyone from Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, US Senator Ted Cruz, to even Twitter owner Elon Musk, King has a new target: Upstate New York.

Stephen has spent most of his life only a few hours away from Upstate. He was born in Portland, Maine, attended the University of Maine, and fittingly lived in a very spooky mansion in Bangor, Maine with his wife until 2019. That’s why so many of his stories take place in the Pine Tree State.

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King’s targeting of Upstate NY came in the form of a snarky joke about the chaotic US Speaker of the House election. While Rep. Kevin McCarthy battled to get enough votes for the seat, King wondered why anyone would want the job in a particularly snarky way.

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The joke’s admittedly a little hacky, but hey, it’s Twitter. Except the residents of Utica definitely didn’t let the tweet slide. The comments turned into a full-blown “why us?” debate.

The city's official Twitter fired back with a very Gen Z response.

Some Upstate politicians tried to extend an olive branch.

Others did not.

Some defended Utica’s culinary charms.

Some were eager to get rid of King altogether.

And some just took it in stride.

In his typical fashion, King didn't offer a defense or retraction of his comment. Just another shining example of how Upstate New York doesn't get any respect.

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Shelley Duvall, the female lead in the classic 1980 horror film The Shining, is back in another scary flick; a psychological horror movie called 'The Forest Hills'. Shot in the Catskills, it's getting great reviews and looks pretty legit. Here's a little more information about the the movie and Duvall's first role in over 20 years.

Gallery Credit: Brian Cody TSM Albany