Fresh accusations of sexual misconduct and assault have emerged against Neil Gaiman, the prolific fantasy author whose works such as "Good Omens," "American Gods," and "The Sandman" have been adapted into successful TV series. On Monday, "New York Magazine" featured a cover story titled "There Is No Safe Word," penned by Lila Shapiro, which delves into fresh allegations against Gaiman based on interviews with eight women. These allegations come on the heels of the July 2024 release of the "Tortoise Media" podcast "Master," which earlier reported graphic accusations by five women against the celebrated author. (Notably, four of these women were also interviewed for the "New York Magazine" article.)
Among the claims is one from Scarlett Pavlovich, a former babysitter for Gaiman and his ex-wife Amanda Palmer. Pavlovich alleges that she was sexually assaulted by Gaiman in a backyard bathtub in New Zealand in February 2022. She further alleges that Gaiman assaulted her under the blankets on a hotel room bed, while his son played with an iPad in the same room. Gaiman's representatives have vehemently denied these claims, labeling them as "false and deplorable" to "New York Magazine."
A police report accusing Gaiman of sexual assault was filed in January 2023, but the investigation was eventually dropped.
Another claim of sexual misconduct detailed in the "New York Magazine" feature stems from Brenda (a pseudonym), who met Gaiman during a book signing in the 1990s. Years later, they had a sexual encounter at a horror convention. Brenda recounted, "He seemed to have a script. He wanted me to call him 'master' immediately… It was like he was following a ritual that had nothing to do with me."
Gaiman's upcoming book-to-screen adaptations include the second season of "The Sandman" on Netflix, the Amazon miniseries "Anansi Boys," and the concluding 90-minute episode of "Good Omens," also on Amazon. "The Hollywood Reporter" has reached out to Netflix and Amazon for comment on the status of these projects and has also contacted Gaiman for his direct response to the allegations featured in the magazine's cover story.
In addition to his extensive writing career, Gaiman has also penned screenplays for "Neverwhere" and "Mirrormask," contributed an episode to "Doctor Who," co-wrote "Beowulf" with Robert Zemeckis, and produced the film "Stardust."
Through his representatives, Gaiman has stated that the encounters with the women were consensual.
