More women come forward with sexual assault allegations against Neil Gaiman
Warning: This article details accounts of sexual assault.
More women came forward with allegations of sexual assault against celebrated author Neil Gaiman, who was first accused of it in 2023.
In a report published by Vulture on Jan. 13, several women talked about their alleged experiences with Gaiman, including Scarlett Pavlovich, a former babysitter for him and his ex-wife Amanda Palmer.
Pavlovich told the publication that the former couple had been friends with her since she was 22. She was asked to babysit their son at their home on Waiheke Island in New Zealand. They were already separated at the time.
She alleged that she and Gaiman were alone while waiting for his son when he suggested for her to take a bath.
When she was in the bathtub, a naked Gaiman allegedly joined her.
“I said ‘no,'" Pavlovich recalled. "I said, ‘I’m not confident with my body.' He said, ‘It’s okay—it’s only me. Just relax. Just have a chat.’”
She said Gaiman "put his fingers straight into my a**," before he “tried to rub his penis between my breasts” and ejaculated on her face.
“He said ‘‘Call me ‘master,’ and I’ll come,’” she said. “He said, ‘Be a good girl. You’re a good little girl.’”
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.
She also recalled Gaiman's son addressing her as a "slave" and ordering her to call him "master."
Gaiman also allegedly had sex with her at a hotel while his son was still in the room.
Pavlovich eventually signed a non-disclosure agreement and was given $9,200 (PhP539,000) in separate payments.
She filed a police report against Gaiman in January 2023 but the case was closed as he and Palmer refused to speak with authorities. (Gaiman issued a written statement denying the allegations and asserting all interactions were consensual.)
Five different women came forward with their stories via the podcast Master in July 2023.
A woman identified as Caroline in the podcast told Vulture that she and her husband, Phillip, worked as caretakers at Gaiman and Palmer’s home in Woodstock in New York.
When Philip moved out, Caroline said she had a physical relationship with Gaiman, having phone sex occasionally.
Caroline recalled that she fell asleep reading a story to Gaiman's then 4-year-old son in his and Palmer's bed one evening. And when Gaiman returned home, he allegedly got into the bed—his son still there—and placed her hand on his penis.
In December 2021, Caroline said Gaiman's business manager offered her $5,000 (PhP293,000) if she signed a non-disclosure agreement and moved out of Gaiman’s Woodstock property.
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 (PhP3.5 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.
Gaiman has denied all allegations against him since 2023.
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.
