Neil Gaiman responds to accusations of sexual assault and rape

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Posted on 01/15/2025 12:39:07 AM PST by jerod

Numerous women have accused the writer of rape, sexual assault and sexual coercion

Writer Neil Gaiman has responded to serious allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation made against him this week, admitting that he recognized some events but claiming that he has never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity.

In a more than 10,000 word exposé published Monday by Vulture, New York Magazine's culture section, numerous women came forward to accuse Gaiman of sexual assault, describing encounters that ranged from sexual coercion to violent instances of rape.

The alleged victims include former fans, a former live-in babysitter for Gaiman's son, and a divorced mother of three who was relying on Gaiman for housing.

One woman said Gaiman sexually assaulted her in a bathtub in his garden after she told him she was gay and had been sexually abused when she was a teenager.

Gaiman, a well-known writer of science fiction and fantasy, has long been viewed as a feminist ally, a reputation that some of the women in the New York Magazine article said inspired them to trust him prior to the assaults.

The allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse described in the article stretch back decades, and some of the alleged behaviour and assaults occurred while Gaiman's young son was in the room, according to the article. Gaiman, through his representatives, was quoted as vehemently denying these specific events in the New York Magazine article.

Gaiman responds

The author, known for properties such as Coraline and American Gods, responded to the allegations on Tuesday in a blog post on his website. He said he has been watching the stories emerge with "horror and dismay" and that he doesn't "accept there was any abuse."

"As I read through this latest collection of accounts, there are moments I half-recognise 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 wrote.

He said he had reread messages exchanged "with the women around and following the occasions that have subsequently been reported as being abusive" and said they still appear to reflect consensual relationships to him.

The New York Magazine article expands upon allegations first raised in a six-episode podcast series from Tortoise Media in the summer and early fall of 2024, in which five women described receiving unwanted sexual advances from Gaiman, some of which they said escalated to sexual assault.

Gaiman previously acknowledged some of the encounters took place, but characterized them as consensual BDSM relationships.

In the wake of the initial allegations, several productions connected to Gaiman properties were paused. A Disney film adaptation of Gaiman's YA novel The Graveyard Book was paused, according to IndieWire, and the Prime Video Series Good Omens, based on Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's novel, had its third season placed on hold in September.

After Gaiman reportedly stepped back from the production, according to Variety, Prime Video stated in October that the third season of Good Omens would consist of one 90-minute episode.

Currently, an adaptation of Gaiman's novel Anansi Boys is still upcoming from Amazon Prime Video, and the second season of Netflix's The Sandman, based on Gaiman's work, is expected to land this year.

Neither Amazon Prime Video nor Netflix have responded to CBC's request for comment.

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1 posted on 01/15/2025 12:39:07 AM PST by jerod

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