Neil Gaiman responds to sexual assault allegations

Author Neil Gaiman has denied allegations of sexual assault and abuse made by several women and reported in a New York Review story earlier this week.

In a new statement posted on his website Tuesday, Gaiman wrote: “I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Never.” His denial comes a day after the publication of the cover story that included eight of Gaiman’s accusers – including four who had previously shared their claims in the 2024 podcast series. Master: The allegations against Neil Gaiman. Gaiman also denied previous allegations against him and claimed that all of his relationships were consensual.

The magazine reviewed texts and emails between the women and their friends, as well as messages sent between Gaiman and the women. The article includes alleged abusive behavior by Gaiman toward women who claims he forced them to commit degrading acts and, in some cases, made sexual advances toward them while his young son was present in the room.

One of the alleged accounts includes Scarlett Pavlovich, a former nanny who began working for Gaiman and his then-wife, Amanda Palmer, in New Zealand in February 2022 (the couple finalized their divorce later that year ). Pavlovich accused Gaiman of attacking her on several occasions. She claims the perpetrator made her perform oral sex while his penis was covered in urine and allegedly pushed his penis into her mouth, causing Pavlovich to vomit. Gaiman then allegedly told him to lick the vomit off his knees. Pavlovich also claimed that Gaiman had sex with her while her son played on an iPad in the same hotel room.

Pavlovich filed a complaint against Gaiman in New Zealand in January 2023. A spokesperson said “the matter is closed.”

Gaiman denied the allegations in the New York Review story through its legal representatives, calling them “false, not to mention deplorable”.

In his message on Tuesday, Gaiman said: “I went back to read the messages I exchanged with women in the area and following the events which were later reported as abusive. These messages read now as they did when I received them – from two people enjoying fully consensual sex and wanting to see each other again.

He later claimed: “Some of the horrific stories told today simply never happened, while others have been so distorted from what actually happened that they are completely irrelevant.” with reality. »

Kendra Stout, another woman who came forward about the story, claimed that she met Gaiman when she was 18 in 2003 and that he “talked at length about the dominant and submissive relationship he wanted from me.” . Stout alleged that they did not establish any “safe words” or “boundaries” (standard parts of BDSM negotiations) and that Gaiman allegedly penetrated her with his finger and penis while she had a painful urinary infection while that she told him “No”. Stout filed a police report against him last October.

Following allegations that surfaced last summer, several film and television productions based on Gaiman’s books, including The cemetery book at Disney, were stopped.