Steve Martin calls out Collier County on Facebook, Instagram after 'Shopgirl' book removal

Steve Martin called out Collier County, Florida.

The "Only Murders in the Building" actor posted a short message on his Facebook page to his 3.2 million followers on Nov. 6, and the post about his book "Shopgirl" quickly went viral.

As of Tuesday, Nov. 7, the Steve Martin post had more than 30,000 likes, almost 3,000 comments and about 2,000 shares in less than 24 hours.

The "SNL" actor posted about it on his Instagram account, too. On that platform, the evil dentist from "The Little Shop of Horrors" has 584,000 followers.

Here's what we know about the veteran actor and his book (and movie), "Shopgirl."

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Why did Steve Martin go viral on social media?

Veteran actor Steve Martin ("Saturday Night Live," "Three Amigos," "Father of the Bride" films) went viral for this post to his 3.2 million followers on Facebook: "So proud to have my book Shopgirl banned in Collier County, Florida! Now people who want to read it will have to buy a copy!" The "Bright Star" creator included a link to purchase his book. Several comments responded about the movie of the same name.

Martin posted the same message on his Instagram account @stevemartinreally, and a day later the post has almost 24,000 likes and just under 1,000 comments.

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Was Steve Martin's book banned?

No. Collier County libraries pulled the book from its shelves, but it was not banned. "Shopgirl" the book appears on PEN America's list of more than 300 school library book titles removed from all grade levels in Collier County.

Where is Collier County, Florida?

Collier County, Florida, includes the city of Naples, Marco Island and Immokalee. Parts of Collier County still are recovering from Hurricane Ian, which made landfall Sept. 28, 2022, near Cayo Costa in Southwest Florida as a dangerous Category 4 storm.

What is 'Shopgirl' by Steve Martin about?

"Shopgirl" is a 2000 novella written by Steve Martin, and he later adapted his book for a 2005 romantic-comedy-drama film using the same name. Its IMDB bio states: "A film adaptation of Steve Martin's novel about a complex love triangle between a bored salesgirl, a wealthy businessman and an aimless young man."

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What are some of the comments about 'Shopgirl' on the Steve Martin Facebook post?

"I’ve always felt making the New York Times best seller list would be the pinnacle in successful writing. Now I think it must be making the banned book list." − Ann Braziel

"I have that book! One of my favorite movies [of yours and ever]. Brilliant, touching. Thank you." − Athena Stamos

"I read this when I was a shopgirl, in a shop (that wasn't very busy). Congratulations on the ban." − Laurie McInnis

"Removed from school library shelves isn’t the same as banned. Not sure why you want primary school students to read a book with multiple sex scenes - Particularly between a 28 year-old shopgirl and a “middle-aged womanizing millionaire.” − Josh Rachlis

Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Actor Steve Martin reacts to 'Shopgirl' pulled from Florida shelves