In the past Stephen King has described Glenn Beck as “Satan’s mentally challenged younger brother” but this week but this week in Entertainment Weekly column he announced that he “sort of digs” the “crazy” talk show host.

King said that Glenn Beck reminds him of certain people you meet in big cities. “You know, the ones wearing robes, sandals, and signs proclaiming that the world is going to end because American men are eating too much red meat and American women are wearing their pants too tight,” said King. “He's crazy, but – like those urban nutcakes – he actually seems to believe what he's saying. I can get behind that."

It seems that the novelist’s views are softening. Beck was apparently unimpressed at this change from the status quo. Speaking on Bill O’Reilly’s show he said that King was “the guy that usually when I release my books at the same time, he's number two".

In 2007 King called Bill O’Reilly “Satan’s mentally challenged older brother.” On his show O’Reilly asked Beck “So you think he’s jealous of you?...He lives up in Maine, this guy. He writes about spooky things."

"I think he meant that in a good way," Beck told O'Reilly. "What he's saying is you're a nutcake. But I'm a sincere nutcake ... I'm sincerely crazy ... I appreciate that, Stephen."

O’Reilly and Beck discussed the idea of going and visiting King. Beck said “We could gather arms and – I mean, lock arms, not gather arms. That would be crazy. Lock arms and sing Kumbaya. And then he can come out and tell us spooky stories.”