Trigger warning: Mention of rape, sexual assault, and disturbing content.

Fantasy author Neil Gaiman is facing a spree of sexual assault allegations after eight women accused him in a New York Magazine article titled “There is No Safe Word.” Eight women recount horrific experiences with the author accusing him of assault, coercion and abuse. One of them is Scarlett Pavlovich, who worked as a nanny for Gaiman and his ex-wife, Amanda Palmer.

The allegations first came to light in July. Tortoise Media broke the news that Gaiman was facing accusations of sexual assault by two women and released a six-part podcast, “Master.” It covered the allegations of five women. However, most of the women kept their identities hidden. Now, the issue has come to light to some extent following the New York Magazine article. In the piece, reporter Lila Shapiro spoke to eight women who had similar experiences with Gaiman, four of which also participated in Tortoise’s podcast.

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Pavlovich alleges that Gaiman assaulted her on multiple occasions. It started from the first day she began babysitting their 5-year-old child in 2022. She was 22 at the time. The spree of assaults began after the ‘Good Omens’ writer assaulted her in the backyard pool of his New Zealand home. She recounted, “He said, ‘Call me ‘master’… Be a good girl. You’re a good little girl.’” He continued to assault her and engage in degrading acts as well as BDSM activities. She accuses Gaiman of forcing oral and anal sex on her. “When it was over, he called her ‘slave’ and ordered her to ‘clean him up.’ She protested that it wasn’t hygienic. ‘He said, “Are you defying your master?”

Continuing, she claimed that Neil Gaiman had intercourse with her in a hotel room while his son was present. The alleged attack left her in a “state of shock”. Meanwhile, Gaiman has denied all allegations against him since the Tortoise podcast came out. He asserted that all relations were consensual.

As noted by Variety, representatives for Gaiman issued a statement to Tortoise podcast. They stated, “Sexual degradation, bondage, domination, sadism and masochism may not be to everyone’s taste, but between consenting adults, BDSM is lawful.”

Another accuser is Kendra Stout. She was 18 years old when she first met Gaiman at a book signing in Florida. Stout alleges that he raped her during a trip to the Cornish countryside in 2007. This happened even after she repeatedly told him “no” due to having a bad UTI. Katherine Kendall was 22 when she first met Gaiman in 2012. She accuses Gaiman of attempting to assault her on his tour bus. As per New York Magazine, he gave her $60,000 for therapy to “make up for the damage.”

As per the NY Mag article, several women have accused Neil Gaiman of forcing them during several instances. They allege that consent and certain BDSM activities weren’t discussed beforehand.

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Since the podcast, the allegations against the once-celebrated author have continued to mount. The impact is visible on his professional life. Several TV adaptations of his work, including ‘The Graveyard Book,’ ‘The Sandman,’ and the S3 of ‘Good Omens,’ have been cancelled or restricted.

Moreover, author JK Rowling has also weighed in on the case. She calls out the literary community’s silence over the allegations likening it to Harvey Weinstein’s case. Taking to X, she penned, “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.”

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