CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses sexual assault, rape, and sexual misconduct.
Disgraced English author Neil Gaiman has broken his silence on new claims arising this week of alleged sexual misconduct and sexual assault.
According to an explosive New York Magazine report by Lila Shapiro on Monday, eight women have come forward detailing instances of alleged assault, coercion, or abuse by the Coraline author.
Four of the women have previously spoken out, with the first allegations against Gaiman emerging in the middle of 2024 on the podcast Master from Tortoise Media.
In a statement published on his website on Tuesday, Gaiman said he has been watching stories about him circulating on the internet “with horror and dismay”.
“I’ve stayed quiet until now, both out of respect for the people who were sharing their stories and out of a desire not to draw even more attention to a lot of misinformation,” the 64-year-old said.
“I’ve always tried to be a private person, and felt increasingly that social media was the wrong place to talk about important personal matters.
“I’ve now reached the point where I feel that I should say something.”
Reflecting on the claims outlined in Shapiro’s piece this week — which included allegations from Scarlett Pavlovich, who was previously employed by the author to babysit his then five-year-old — Gaiman said there are descriptions of events that happened “sitting beside things that emphatically did not happen”.
“I’m far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever,” he wrote.
“I went back to read the messages I exchanged with the women around and following the occasions that have subsequently been reported as being abusive. These messages read now as they did when I received them – of two people enjoying entirely consensual sexual relationships and wanting to see one another again.”
He continued that at the time the relationships were unfolding, they “seemed positive and happy on both sides”.
Among other allegations, Pavlovich claims the author joined her naked in a bath without asking and proceeded to sexually assault her.
She also alleged an incident occurred at a hotel in February 2022 where Gaiman began to have sex with her while his son was in the room on his iPad.
Other startling claims include Gaiman’s alleged desires for the women to call him “master” — which the accusers said they went along with, to a certain extent — as well as specific BDSM activities which took place without their consent or prior approval.
In his statement, Gaiman outlined how he “could have and should have done so much better”, explaining he had been “emotionally unavailable while being sexually available” and “self-focused and not as thoughtful as I could or should have been”.
“I was obviously careless with people’s hearts and feelings, and that’s something that I really, deeply regret. It was selfish of me. I was caught up in my own story and I ignored other people’s,” he said.
He added that he is “trying to do the work needed” and conceded “not everyone will believe me or even care what I say”.
“I’ll be doing the work anyway, for myself, my family and the people I love. I will be doing my very best to deserve their trust, as well as the trust of my readers,” Gaiman said.
“At the same time, as I reflect on my past – and as I re-review everything that actually happened as opposed to what is being alleged – I don’t accept there was any abuse. To repeat, I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone.”
According to the author, some of the horrible stories being shared about him “simply never happened” while others have allegedly been heavily distorted.
“I am prepared to take responsibility for any missteps I made. I’m not willing to turn my back on the truth, and I can’t accept being described as someone I am not, and cannot and will not admit to doing things I didn’t do,” Gaiman said.
A number of projects involving Gaiman’s work have been cancelled, altered, or put on hold in the last year, although it is not entirely clear if they are all in connection to the allegations.
The Amazon series Good Omens, of which Gaiman was an executive producer, had its third and final season changed to just a 90-minute episode after he left the production in October.
Meanwhile Disney is believed to have paused production on its film adaptation of another Gaiman title, The Graveyard Book.
Netflix also cancelled Dead Boy Detectives, based on DC comics characters of the same name co-authored by Gaiman, after one season.
However, Netflix series The Sandman is expected to see a season two release later this year.
Lead image: Jim Bennett/ Getty Images
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