Neil Gaiman responds to explosive sexual assault report

Best-selling author Neil Gaiman on Tuesday denied allegations of sexual abuse and assault made against him by several women and reported in an explosive article in New York magazine this week.

In a statement posted on his website, Gaiman categorically denied engaging in “non-consensual sexual activity with anyone.” He wrote that he remained silent about the allegations to avoid calling attention to “a lot of misinformation” and called his relationships with the women who alleged he assaulted them and pressured them to They engage in “completely consensual” acts against their will. .”

Accounts about Gaiman began to surface last summer, when several women came forward on a podcast produced by Tortoise Media and accused the author of sexually assaulting them. But a series of much more detailed and disturbing accounts from several women alleging that Gaiman raped, pressured, abused and assaulted them was published Monday by New York magazine. The article describes alleged abusive behavior by Gaiman toward women who say he forced them to commit degrading acts, including licking vomit off his lap, and in some cases pressured them to have sex while her young son was present in the room.

Some prominent writers – including JK Rowling, Jeff VanderMeer, Maureen Johnson and Naomi Alderman – have denounced Gaiman’s behavior and criticized the literary world’s lukewarm response to the allegations. Others have suggested that awards committees rescind some of Gaiman’s literary awards. Some booksellers have wondered whether they should stop carrying his books, which have sold tens of millions of copies worldwide and include beloved children’s books, comic books and fantasy novels like “American Gods” and “The Graveyard Book.” Dismayed fans vowed they would no longer buy or read Gaiman’s work.

Although some of Gaiman’s television and film projects were shelved following the initial allegations, responses from his editors, agents and professional collaborators have been much more muted.

Gaiman’s lawyers did not respond to a request for additional comment.

HarperCollins, which has published many of his most notable works, and Marvel, the comic book publisher, have no new upcoming books featuring Gaiman, according to company representatives.