Stephen King, the legendary author from Maine whose tales have haunted and thrilled generations, now finds himself at the center of a very different sort of American story: that of censorship and book banning. According to a new report released on October 1, 2025, by PEN America, King has become the most banned author in U.S. schools, with his works targeted more than any other writer in the country. The report, titled Banned in the USA, documents a staggering 6,870 instances of books being temporarily or permanently removed from school libraries during the 2024-2025 academic year, painting a picture of a nation deeply divided over what stories children should be allowed to read.
The numbers are sobering, if not outright alarming. As reported by the Associated Press and detailed in PEN America’s findings, King’s books were censored 206 times, with iconic titles like Carrie and The Stand among the 87 of his works affected. While the total number of bans has dropped from over 10,000 in the previous year, it remains far higher than just a few years ago, when PEN America didn’t even see the need to track such data. “It is increasingly a story of two countries,” said Kasey Meehan, director of PEN’s Freedom to Read program and a co-author of the report. “And it’s not just a story of red states and blue states. In Florida, not all of the school districts responded to the calls for banning books. You can find differences from county to county.”
Indeed, the report highlights just how concentrated the bans have become. Approximately 80% of all book removals originated in three states—Florida, Texas, and Tennessee—where state legislatures have either enacted or attempted to enact laws targeting books deemed objectionable. In Florida alone, more than 2,000 books were banned or restricted, with certain counties responsible for the bulk of King’s removals as they conducted broad compliance reviews. These reviews often swept up King’s works alongside those with LGBTQ+ content, books on race and racism, and other so-called “adult” titles. Meehan explained, “Some districts—in being overly cautious or fearful of punishment—will sweep so wide they end up removing Stephen King from access, too.”
But what are the reasons behind these bans? According to the PEN report, the most frequently cited justifications include LGBTQ+ themes, depictions of race, and passages containing violence or sexual violence. Yet, the majority of book removals weren’t even in response to formal complaints or direct threats. Rather, thousands of books were pulled from shelves preemptively, in anticipation of political, community, or legal pressure. “This functions as a form of ‘obeying in advance,’” the report notes, “rooted in fear or simply a desire to avoid topics that might be deemed controversial.”
King himself has not shied away from the controversy. On September 26, 2025, the 78-year-old author posted on X (formerly Twitter), “I am now the most banned author in the United States—87 books.” He urged readers to pick up one of his banned works to see “what all the pissing & moaning is about,” adding defiantly, “Self-righteous book banners don’t always get to have their way. This is still America, dammit.” The post generated a flurry of responses—some supportive, others critical of his writing or his outspoken political views. As noted by Townsquare Media, “the claim of being the most banned author is difficult to quantify but widely acknowledged in media coverage during 2025.”
The PEN America report also points to a broader trend: the normalization of book banning. “Never before in the life of any living American have so many books been systematically removed from school libraries across the country,” the report states. It goes on to describe how, in 2025, “never before have so many states passed laws or regulations to facilitate the banning of books, including bans on specific titles statewide. Never before have so many politicians sought to bully school leaders into censoring according to their ideological preferences, even threatening public funding to exact compliance. Never before has access to so many stories been stolen from so many children.”
The federal government’s role in this drama is also under scrutiny. According to PEN America, the Department of Education ended a Biden administration initiative that aimed to investigate the legality of book bans, labeling the issue a “hoax.” Meanwhile, the Department of Defense removed hundreds of books from K-12 school libraries for military families as part of a campaign against DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives and “un-American” thinking. The Trump administration, meanwhile, has released a series of executive orders under slogans like “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling” and “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism,” further fueling the national debate.
Other authors are feeling the heat as well. Ellen Hopkins, Sarah J. Maas, and Jodi Picoult were among the most censored writers, with 167, 162, and 62 instances of their books being banned, respectively. The single most banned book was Anthony Burgess’ dystopian classic A Clockwork Orange, which PEN America found had been removed 23 times. Works by Patricia McCormick, Judy Blume, Jennifer Niven, and Malinda Lo also faced extensive restrictions.
King’s status as America’s most banned author comes at a time when his cultural influence is arguably stronger than ever. As reported by The Guardian and others, King has now surpassed Agatha Christie as the most adapted author, with over 55 of his books turned into feature films since 1976’s Carrie and more than 100 adaptations when counting TV shows and miniseries. Yet, even as his stories reach ever wider audiences on screen, their presence on the shelves of American schools is under unprecedented threat.
King has also been a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump, recently telling The Guardian that Trump’s presidency was “a horror story.” When asked how he would end “Trumpian America,” King replied, “I think it would be impeachment—which, in my view, would be a good ending. I would love to see him retired, let’s put it that way. The bad ending would be that he gets a third term and takes things over completely. It’s a horror story either way. Trump is a horror story, isn’t he?”
As the debate over book banning rages on, the PEN America report acknowledges the difficulty of capturing the full scope of the crisis. Both PEN and the American Library Association rely on a combination of media reports and direct submissions, meaning their numbers are likely underestimates. Stephana Ferrell, director of Research & Insight at the Florida Freedom to Read Project, commented that total bans are “likely much higher” than even PEN’s snapshot suggests, based on ongoing public records requests.
For now, the story of Stephen King’s books—and the thousands of others caught in the crossfire—serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing battle over free expression and the stories that shape young minds. Whether these bans represent a passing phase or a new normal remains to be seen, but as King himself put it, “This is still America, dammit.”
