Stephen King feels 'very uneasy' that Woody Allen's book was dropped by publisher

Stephen King feels “very uneasy” about Hachette Book Group’s decision to drop Woody Allen’s autobiography.

“The Hachette decision to drop the Woody Allen book makes me very uneasy,” the author tweeted on Friday. “It's not him; I don't give a damn about Mr. Allen. It's who gets muzzled next that worries me.”

That day, Allen’s April book, titled “Apropos of Nothing” was canceled by the publisher just days after it was announced. The decision came after criticism from Allen’s daughter Dylan Farrow and son Ronan Farrow, and some company employees, who walked out in protest. Dylan has claimed that her father molested her when she was 7-years-old, which Allen has denied.

King’s tweet received pushback from followers on his “bad take” and many criticized Allen. One user remarked, “No one is owed a publishing deal” and singer John Legend responded, “He can say whatever he wants. They are not required to spend their money or resources on distributing it.”

“If you think he's a pedophile, don't buy the book. Don't go to his movies. Don't go listen to him play jazz at the Carlyle,” King tweeted. “Vote with your wallet...by withholding it. In America, that's how we do.”

He added that Hachette’s decision to publish Allen’s book, especially after publishing his estranged son Ronan Farrow’s book Catch and Kill, was “f— tone-deaf.”

On Thursday, in response to the walk-out, King explained that he considers the cancellation of Allen’s book to be in line with censorship. “If you don't want to read it, don't read it,” he tweeted. “Pretty simple. If you work for the publisher and have an ethical problem, ask to be taken off the project. If you should get fired for taking a stand, sue 'em.”

After the book was announced, Dylan expressed disgust, calling it “deeply disappointing” and an “utter betrayal” of her brother Ronan.

Ronan released his own statement, claiming the publisher did not fact-check his father’s book.

On Friday, Hachette told Yahoo Entertainment in a statement, “Hachette Book Group has decided that it will not publish Woody Allen’s memoir A Propos of Nothing, originally scheduled for sale in April 2020, and will return all rights to the author. The decision to cancel Mr. Allen’s book was a difficult one. At HBG we take our relationships with authors very seriously, and do not cancel books lightly. We have published and will continue to publish many challenging books. As publishers, we make sure every day in our work that different voices and conflicting points of views can be heard.”

The statement continued, “Also, as a company, we are committed to offering a stimulating, supportive and open work environment for all our staff. Over the past few days, HBG leadership had extensive conversations with our staff and others. After listening, we came to the conclusion that moving forward with publication would not be feasible for HBG.”

On Twitter, Dylan thanked the employees who protested, saying that she was “in awe and so very grateful.”

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:

• Katy Perry shows off her baby bump in colorful dress after revealing pregnancy in music video

• Jason Momoa catches flak for posting photo with Mel Gibson

• Woody Allen’s memoir canceled by Hachette Book Group after employee protest

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