Stephen King Appears to Be Pranked By Fake Zelensky, Praises Nazi Collaborator As ‘Great Man’
Author Stephen King appeared to be pranked into thinking he was talking to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a recent phone call. The It novelist also appeared to be lightly coaxed into praising Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera as a “great man.”
The original video of the conversation was posted to Telegram by Russian comedians Vovan and Lexus, a duo that has made a name for themselves through their prank phone calls. Last month, they pranked Harry Potter writer J.K. Rowling into thinking she was speaking to Zelensky amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
During the approximately 15-minute original video, King, who is wearing a Ukraine hat, tells Russian writers to “shut up” and appears to offer Zelensky, a former actor, the part of Pennywise the Clown in a future adaptation. When Bandera is brought up, the Zelensky impersonator asks King what he thinks of him, briefly explaining the man’s history.
“So you know we have no Nazis. We have nationalists, Ukrainian nationalists,” the fake Zelensky said. “People who really love Ukraine. It’s not Nazis … of course they love some people like Bandera, our national hero, so what do you think about Bandera? He was in the second World War and he [fought] against the Soviet Union, but he had some crimes, but not so big crimes.”
The impersonator goes on to say Bandera was accused of “crimes against Jews.”
“You can always find things about people to pull them down. [George] Washington and [Thomas] Jefferson were slave owners — that doesn’t mean they didn’t do many good things to the United States of America. There are always people who have flaws, we are humans. On the whole, I think Bandera is a great man, and you’re a great man, and Viva Ukraine,” King answers.
Bandera was the head of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. The group at one point pledged allegiance to Nazi Germany, noted NPR in a report covering Bandera’s controversial history and the divisive view of him among Ukrainians, as some praise him as a national hero.
King has not yet commented on the authenticity of the video.
If authentic, this would come on the heels of King recently apologizing on Twitter for spreading fake news about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). The author reposted a false story about DeSantis requiring teachers to register their political views with the state.
“Twitter is a constant learning experience, and I will try to do better,” King said in a statement.
