Stephen King has working clowns in an uproar.
The author — currently in the midst of a Hollywood renaissance that includes his 1986 horror-classic "It" opening in movie houses Sept. 8 – acknowledged the acrimony in a tweet in April, saying clowns were "pissed at me."
But the reappearance of Pennywise the killer clown — just one of many forms taken by the evil entity referenced in the book's title – is also being blamed for scaring off business for working clowns, USA Today reported.
"Just as a haunted house event may have a 'doctor' wearing surgical gear, carrying a bloody chainsaw, people need to understand that this character is NOT a real doctor," the World Clown Association wrote in a statement.
"He is a person portraying an evil character in order to scare people. In the same way, people dressed as horror clowns are not 'real clowns.' They are taking something innocent and wholesome and perverting it to create fear in their audience."
WCA president Pam Moody pointed the finger of blame at King's Pennywise character, telling THR "That introduced the concept of this character."
"It's a science-fiction character," he said. "It's not a clown and has nothing to do with pro clowning."
Movie producers think the furor is overblown, with "It" producer David Katzenberg telling USA Today the furor is "somewhat absurd."
Added producer Seth Grahame-Smith, "It's not as if a group of NHL goalies got up and protested Jason or a group of toy manufacturers protested Chucky," he said referring "Friday the 13th" and "Child's Play" slasher movie freaks.
"There's a long tradition in horror of these seemingly harmless things being perverted for that very reason, because they are seemingly harmless."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.