Stephen King ruthlessly shuts down US commentator Dan Bongino after incendiary exchange

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The prolific author – known for novels such as The Shining, It, and Misery – got into a dispute with conservative US commentator Dan Bongino after Bongino suggested that King was a “jobless loser” in a heated exchange earlier this week. But he’s got a real job, not a podcast.” Bongino, a former New York police officer who previously presented the show Unfiltered on Fox News until exiting the network in April this year, hosts a podcast titled The Dan Bongino Show. The author, 75, replied and deliberately misspelt Bongino’s name, writing: “Looks to me like this Dan Bongo person got punked.” In April, King – a vocal critic of Elon Musk’s decision to remove free verification status – was one of the many celebrities to be confused as to why they still had a “blue tick”. I haven’t.” In response to King, Musk wrote: “You’re welcome namaste.” It has since emerged that the Twitter CEO paid for King’s verification status, in a move that many believe was designed to “punish” the author for his past criticism of Musk.