Renowned British author, Neil Gaiman, issued a statement on Wednesday categorically denying allegations of non-consensual sexual activity.
This comes in the wake of a New York Magazine article detailing accusations of sexual assault, abuse, and coercion from eight women, some of which were first aired in a Tortoise Media podcast in July.
The 64-year-old author, best known for The Sandman comic book series and the novel American Gods, expressed his dismay at the allegations, which he described as deeply troubling.
“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,” Gaiman wrote on Tumblr.
Gaiman revealed that he revisited past message exchanges with the accusers, which he said reflected consensual relationships.
“They still read like two people enjoying entirely consensual sexual relationships and wanting to see one another again,” he stated. However, he acknowledged personal shortcomings, admitting, “I was emotionally unavailable while being sexually available, self-focused and not as thoughtful as I could or should have been. I was obviously careless with people’s hearts and feelings, and that’s something that I really, deeply regret.”
The allegations largely concern incidents said to have occurred when Gaiman was in his 40s or older, during periods he lived in the United States, Britain, and New Zealand.
Among the accusers is Scarlett Pavlovich, who told New York Magazine that she met Gaiman in 2022 through his then-wife, Amanda Palmer, while the couple was living on a New Zealand island with their son. Pavlovich alleges that Gaiman abused her multiple times starting on the night they met.
Pavlovich, who made some of her claims public six months earlier on the podcast, stated that she filed a police report in January 2023 accusing Gaiman of sexual assault.
New Zealand Police, when contacted, declined to confirm whether Gaiman was under investigation, stating, “In general, Police cannot respond to queries which seek to establish whether specific individuals are, or have been, under Police investigation. Additionally, anyone who makes a complaint to Police has the right to privacy.”
Efforts to reach Gaiman’s agent, office, and Bloomsbury, the publisher of his recent books, were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, streaming platforms Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, which both have upcoming Gaiman-related projects, have not responded to inquiries regarding the matter.
Gaiman’s works have been adapted into various films and television series, further amplifying the attention surrounding the allegations.
