Horror author Stephen King backtracked after being criticized for saying he “would never consider diversity in matters of art.”

Reacting to this year’s list of Oscar nominations, which drew flak for featuring what many called a lack of diversity, the 72-year-old writer and outspoken liberal tweeted, “As a writer, I am allowed to nominate in just 3 categories: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Screenplay. For me, the diversity issue — as it applies to individual actors and directors, anyway — did not come up. That said, I would never consider diversity in matters of art. Only quality. It seems to me that to do otherwise would be wrong.” King’s writing has been adapted into many Hollywood films, such as The Shining, Carrie, and It.