New Delhi:

Author Neil Gaiman has issued a strong denial of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct following an article published by New York Magazine. The article mentioned accusations from several women, including claims of sexual assault, coercion, and misconduct. 

“I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever,” Gaiman responded in a lengthy statement on his personal website.

In July, two women accused Gaiman of sexual assault, with one claiming that Gaiman had raped her when she was 22 and working as a nanny for his family in New Zealand. Gaiman denied the accusation at the time, maintaining that all his sexual relationships were consensual.

Following the podcast’s release, a third woman came forward, alleging coercion. She stated that while working as Gaiman’s caretaker in New York, he pressured her into a sexual relationship in exchange for allowing her to live on his property. She also alleged that Gaiman compelled her to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in return for a $275,000 payment. Gaiman again refuted the claims, stating their relationship was consensual.

This week, New York Magazine added to the controversy with accounts from eight women, six of whom went on the record. Four of the women participated in the Tortoise podcast series, reiterating accusations of sexual misconduct and coercion. 

In his statement, published on his personal website, Gaiman denied all allegations.

“Over the past many months, I have watched the stories circulating the internet about me with horror and dismay,” he wrote. “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 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 said. “I was obviously careless with people’s hearts and feelings, and that’s something that I really, deeply regret.”

“Some of the horrible stories now being told simply never happened, while others have been so distorted from what actually took place that they bear no relationship to reality,” he wrote. “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.”

The allegations have impacted Gaiman’s career. Three screen adaptations of his works have either been cancelled or paused. Netflix halted production of Dead Boy Detectives, Amazon delayed the third and final season of Good Omens, and Disney shelved a planned adaptation of The Graveyard Book. 

No streaming service has explicitly confirmed these actions were related to the allegations.

Acclaimed British author Neil Gaiman has faced new allegations of sexual misconduct and assault, months after he faced similar charges against him.

In a New York Magazine article titled “There Is No Safe Word”, eight women have shared allegations of assault, coercion, or abuse by Gaiman, including the woman who worked as a nanny for him and his second wife, Amanda Palmer.

The nanny described being sexually assaulted in February 2022 by Gaiman in New Zealand in a backyard bathtub. She also alleged the 64-year-old assaulted her under the blankets on a hotel room bed while his son played with an iPad in the same room.

“He (Gaiman) said, ‘Call me ‘master,’ and I’ll come.’ He said, ‘Be a good girl. You’re a good little girl.’,” the New York Magazine quoted her as saying.

According to the report, most of the women Gaiman allegedly abused were in their 20s, with the youngest at 18. The author was in his 40s or older at that time.

In July 2024, five women made similar accusations against the science fiction and fantasy author, whose books Good Omens, American Gods and The Sandman have turned into TV series.

The allegations were made in a six-part podcast series titled Master by Tortoise Media.

JK Rowling On Neil Gaiman Allegations

Harry Potter author JK Rowling on Monday spoke on the allegations against Neil Gaiman and compared it to the sexual assault cases against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

She also questioned the “literary community’s silence”.

“The literary crowd that had a hell of a lot to say about Harvey Weinstein before he was convicted has been strangely muted in its response to multiple accusations against Neil Gaiman from young women who’d never met, yet – as with Weinstein – tell remarkably similar stories,” she wrote on X.

The literary crowd that had a hell of a lot to say about Harvey Weinstein before he was convicted has been strangely muted in its response to multiple accusations against Neil Gaiman from young women who’d never met, yet – as with Weinstein – tell remarkably similar stories.

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 13, 2025

A jury found that Weinstein, 72, sexually assaulted former production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006 and raped aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013. They are among more than 80 women who have accused him of sexual misconduct.

He was sentenced to 23 years in prison for the New York case, and to 16 years in prison for the separate California case.