Neil Gaiman has publicly addressed the sexual assault allegations made against him for the first time in months. He issued a statement in which he denied the claims and criticised the reporting surrounding them.
Neil Gaiman claims allegations against him are ‘smear campaign’
Neil Gaiman has publicly denied the sexual misconduct allegations made against him. He called the claims false and described the controversy as an attempt to damage his reputation. The author addressed the matter in a lengthy post on his Instagram page.
In his statement, Gaiman rejected the accusations and said the claims were false. The author argued that private communications and recordings contradict these allegations. He also took aim at the way the story has circulated publicly.
Gaiman said, “These allegations, especially the really salacious ones, have been spread and amplified by people who seemed a lot more interested in outrage and getting clicks on headlines rather than whether things had actually happened or not. (They didn’t.)”
The writer also said he had expected media organizations to conduct more thorough investigations that took “the (mountains of) evidence into account.” However, he was “astonished to see how much of the reporting was simply an echo chamber, and how the actual evidence was dismissed or ignored.”
Gaiman further stated that his belief that his version of events would eventually be proven had helped him endure the controversy. He concluded by expressing gratitude for his supporters.
The writer has been accused by nine women of sexual misconduct and coercive behavior. The allegations were initially detailed in a July 2024 podcast investigation by Tortoise Media and were later examined in a January 2025 report by New York Magazine. One of the accusers is Scarlett Pavlovich, who previously worked as a nanny for Gaiman and his ex-wife, musician Amanda Palmer.
