Neil Gaiman denies sexual assault allegations, insists he 'never engaged' in non-consensual sex with anyone
Warning: This article contains mentions of rape and sexual assault.
Celebrated author Neil Gaiman has denied multiple sexual abuse allegations against him, insisting he "never engaged" in non-consensual sex with anyone.
"Over the past many months, I have watched the stories circulating the internet about me with horror and dismay," Gaiman said in a blog post titled Breaking the Silence. "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. 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."
As he read through "this latest collection of accounts," referring to a Vulture report on Jan. 13, he said "there are moments I half-recognize and moments I don’t, descriptions of things 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 said.
Gaiman acknowledged the messages he had with "the women around" as detailed in the story, but claimed that they were "entirely consensual."
"These messages read now as they did when I received them," he said, "of two people enjoying entirely consensual sexual relationships and wanting to see one another again. At the time I was in those relationships, they seemed positive and happy on both sides."
But Gaiman said he "could have and should have done so much better."
"I was emotionally unavailable while being sexually available, self-focused and not as thoughtful as I could or should have been," he said. "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 noted that he's "learning" and "trying to do the work needed," saying it's not an overnight process.
"I hope that with the help of good people, I'll continue to grow," he said, adding that he understands that "not everyone will believe me or even care what I say."
"[B]ut 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," he said.
As he was wrapping up his statement, Gaiman asserted that he has "never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone."
"[A]s 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," he said.
He claimed that "[s]ome of the horrible stories now being told simply never happened."
Other stories, meanwhile, "have been so distorted from what actually took place that they bear no relationship to reality."
"I am prepared to take responsibility for any missteps I made," he added. "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."
In the Jan. 13, 2025, Vulture piece, Scarlett Pavlovich, a former babysitter for him and his ex-wife Amanda Palmer, alleged that a naked Gaiman joined her for a bath after suggesting for her to do so. He then "put his fingers straight into my a**," before he “tried to rub his penis between my breasts” and ejaculated on her face.
As Pavlovich continued working as a babysitter, she accused Gaiman of committing further sexual assault, including having anal sex with her and using butter as a lubricant. He also allegedly had sex with her at a hotel while his son was still in the room.
A woman identified as Caroline—who worked as a caretaker with her husband and who first came forward in a podcast in 2023—recalled that she fell asleep reading a story to Gaiman's then 4-year-old son in his and Palmer's bed one evening.
When Gaiman returned home, he allegedly got into the bed—his son still there—and placed Caroline's hand on his penis.
Katherine Kendall, who met Gaiman in 2012 when she was 22, alleged Gaiman of attempting to have sex with her on his tour bus. He then allegedly gave her $60,000 (P3.5 million) for therapy and to "make up for the damage."
Kendra Stout, who met Gaiman at a book signing when she was 18, said he raped her in 2007.
In separate instances, Gaiman allegedly offered Pavlovich and Caroline money and made them sign non-disclosure agreements about their employment at his home.
The author is known for his works The Sandman, Good Omens, Stardust, Anansi Boys, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book. He has won several accolades, including the Hugo, Nebula, and Bram Stoker awards, as well as the Newbery and Carnegie medals.
Prime Video and Netflix have adapted Good Omens and The Sandman, respectively, with him serving as showrunner and executive producer.
In September 2024, Deadline reported that Gaiman stepped back from the third and final season of Good Omens.
Disney has also halted its planned adaptation of The Graveyard Book amid the allegations.
