Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Stephen King Criticized for Comments on Diversity
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
January 16, 2020

Share

NEW YORK — Stephen King says he cares only about “quality,” not “diversity” when deciding on awards. Some are asking why he thinks the two must be different.
“I would never consider diversity in matters of art. Only quality,” King tweeted this week. “It seems to me that to do otherwise would be wrong.”

“I would never consider diversity in matters of art. Only quality. It seems to me that to do otherwise would be wrong.”  Stephen King
The best-selling author’s comments came shortly after the announcement of this year’s nominees for the Academy Awards, widely criticized for only choosing male directors and for an almost entirely white group of acting finalists. King wrote that he had been allowed to nominate people for best picture, best adapted screenplay and best original screenplay, and that for him “the diversity issue — as it applies to individual actors and directors, anyway — did not come up.”
King, many of whose books have been adapted into movies, did not say who he did nominate. A spokeswoman from Scribner, King’s publisher, said Wednesday that for now no further comment from him was expected.
Admirers of King, an outspoken liberal, were disheartened by his comments. Author Roxane Gay tweeted that “as a fan, this is painful to read.

‘Quality Is Everywhere’

“It implies that diversity and quality cannot be synonymous,” Gay wrote. “They are not separate things. Quality is everywhere but most industries only believe in quality from one demographic. And now, here you are.”
Director Ava DuVernay tweeted: “When you wake up, meditate, stretch, reach for your phone to check on the world and see a tweet from someone you admire that is so backward and ignorant you want to go back to bed.”
At a TV critics meeting Wednesday, Cynthia Erivo, this year’s lone Oscar acting nominee of color, was asked about King’s comments while promoting a series based on the author’s “The Outsider.”
The English actress, who is black, is a double nominee for her her portrayal of Harriet Tubman in the film “Harriet” and for the film’s original song “Stand Up.”
“I like to think I’m part of the world of diversity,” Erivo said Wednesday. “I feel like this year we had a flurry of beautiful pieces by people who are of a diverse nature — black women, women in general.”
If she were in a position to create work for others, she would make sure it’s inclusive, she said.
“But it is also up to those people who are used to doing things a certain way to shake up their ideas,” Erivo said. “Change the way they think, change the way they cast things, change the way they (hire) their producers, their directors and writers and make sure it reflects the world that we live in.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation During Burglary Faces Life Without Parole

DON'T MISS

What Local Politicians, LGBT Community Say About Trans Track Star

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Arrested After Stolen City Vehicle Pursuit, Fires in Madera County

DON'T MISS

Former MLB All-Star Breaks Ground on BMW/Porsche/Audi Dealership in Clovis

DON'T MISS

Fresno, Clovis to Open Cooling Centers as Temperatures Expected to Soar

DON'T MISS

Costco Misses Quarterly Revenue Expectations Amid Reduced Consumer Spending

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Authorities Respond to Double Shooting in Goshen

DON'T MISS

US Appeals Court Reinstates Trump Tariffs, Sowing Market Confusion

DON'T MISS

A Program Paying CA Jurors $100 a Day Would End Due to Newsom’s Budget Cuts

DON'T MISS

Some Glaciers Will Vanish No Matter What, Study Finds

UP NEXT

Ecstasy and Bribery Accusations in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial Bolster Racketeering Charge

UP NEXT

Disney’s ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Leads Record Box Office Over US Memorial Day Weekend

UP NEXT

No Yard? No Excuses—You Can Still Grow Your Own Food and Slash Your Grocery Bill

UP NEXT

How to Travel Without a Phone

UP NEXT

Explore the Wild Side of Route 66 With These Natural Wonders

UP NEXT

Billy Joel Cancels Touring After Being Diagnosed With a Brain Disorder

UP NEXT

Dave Shapiro, Groundbreaking Music Executive, Dies in San Diego Plane Crash at 42

UP NEXT

Kid Cudi Says His Car Was Set on Fire Weeks After Sean Combs Broke into His Home

UP NEXT

Kim Kardashian Dons a Graduation Cap and Marches Closer to Becoming a Lawyer

UP NEXT

What Travelers Should Know About This Messy Memorial Day Weekend

Former MLB All-Star Breaks Ground on BMW/Porsche/Audi Dealership in Clovis

13 hours ago

Fresno, Clovis to Open Cooling Centers as Temperatures Expected to Soar

14 hours ago

Costco Misses Quarterly Revenue Expectations Amid Reduced Consumer Spending

14 hours ago

Tulare County Authorities Respond to Double Shooting in Goshen

14 hours ago

US Appeals Court Reinstates Trump Tariffs, Sowing Market Confusion

14 hours ago

A Program Paying CA Jurors $100 a Day Would End Due to Newsom’s Budget Cuts

14 hours ago

Some Glaciers Will Vanish No Matter What, Study Finds

15 hours ago

Dealmaker or Duped? Trump’s Embrace of Putin Shows Few Results

15 hours ago

Fresno Will Build New Firehouse, Replacing ‘Temporary’ Station After 50 Years

15 hours ago

Canada Wants to Kill 400 Ostriches. RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz Want to Save Them.

15 hours ago

Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation During Burglary Faces Life Without Parole

A Tulare County jury has convicted a Porterville man of molesting a 4-year-old girl during a home burglary in 2020, prosecutors said Thursda...

12 hours ago

Serafin Narcisco, 44, of Porterville, was convicted on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, of molesting a 4-year-old girl during a 2020 home burglary. (Tulare County SO)
12 hours ago

Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation During Burglary Faces Life Without Parole

12 hours ago

What Local Politicians, LGBT Community Say About Trans Track Star

A man accused of stealing a City of Fresno vehicle was arrested Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Madera County after a pursuit that sparked small fires and ended with a crash. (Madera County SO)
12 hours ago

Fresno Man Arrested After Stolen City Vehicle Pursuit, Fires in Madera County

13 hours ago

Former MLB All-Star Breaks Ground on BMW/Porsche/Audi Dealership in Clovis

14 hours ago

Fresno, Clovis to Open Cooling Centers as Temperatures Expected to Soar

14 hours ago

Costco Misses Quarterly Revenue Expectations Amid Reduced Consumer Spending

Tulare County sheriff’s detectives are investigating a double shooting in Goshen after two people were found wounded Thursday, May 29, 2025. (Tulare County SO)
14 hours ago

Tulare County Authorities Respond to Double Shooting in Goshen

14 hours ago

US Appeals Court Reinstates Trump Tariffs, Sowing Market Confusion

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend