Stephen King opens up on Jeremy Renner's return to Mayor of Kingstown after his near-fatal accident

Stephen King, who spent his Fourth of July indulging in some quality television, took to social media to share his thoughts on the Paramount+ crime thriller Mayor of Kingstown and its star, Jeremy Renner. Created by Hugh Dillon and Taylor Sheridan, Mayor of Kingstown follows Renner as Mike McLusky, the titular "Mayor" of a Michigan town where the McLusky family acts as a go-between for inmates, gangs, and law enforcement.

“I have no f***ing clue what’s going on in Mayor of Kingstown, but I love this show,” the author shared on X. “It reminds me of The Shield and Sons of Anarchy. I had no f***ing idea what was going on in those, either.”

While King might be playfully bewildered by the show's complexities, one thing is crystal clear: "What I know is that Mike McLusky drives around in a badass Lincoln Connie. That’s all I need to know. Also, that guy Bunny [Tobi Bamtefa] is a badass.”

King also saluted Renner's commitment to the series, especially after the harrowing snowplow accident at the beginning of 2023. He wrote on X, "Also, Jeremy Renner is a badass who got run over by a snowplow and came back for season three!"

Renner recently discussed his challenges following the near-fatal accident, admitting on the Smartless podcast with Will Arnett, Sean Hayes, and Jason Bateman that he is seeking less emotionally demanding roles.

"I just don’t have the energy for it. I don’t have the fuel. I have so much fuel to put into this reality, this body, all this stuff. I can’t just go play make-believe right now. Because that takes a lot of time to get right here every day just so I can have a positive thought, so I can progress, so I can always keep growing," Renner said.

He reassured fans that returning to Mayor of Kingstown was no issue for him since he already understood the character.

"But if it was a very challenging role, I couldn’t have taken it. Not challenging in the sense that — because the show’s challenging, but it’s if I had to go play Dahmer or something, something so far from me.”