In a podcast last summer, two women accused Neil Gaiman, the popular and influential comic book author and fantasy novelist, of sexual assault. Since then, others have stepped forward with similar allegations. This week Vulture published an intensively reported article chronicling Gaiman's alleged crimes in graphic detail, including accusations from eight women. Gaiman denied any misconduct in a blog post on his website this morning, writing, "I’m far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever."
From 2011 to 2022, Gaiman was married to the musician and cabaret performer Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls, who pops up extensively in the Vulture story. The article depicts an open marriage in which Gaiman and Palmer discussed their other sexual partners and sometimes shared them. One woman, Scarlett Pavlovich, who befriended Palmer and became a babysitter for Palmer and Gaiman's child, described being sexually assaulted by Gaiman the first time they met and later raped by him.
When Pavlovich met Gaiman and Palmer in 2022, the spouses were separated and living in separate homes in Auckland, New Zealand. The first alleged assault took place when Palmer asked Pavlovich to go to Gaiman's house to babysit her son, only to find that Palmer had arranged a play date for the child, leaving Pavlovich alone in the house with Gaiman. An unnamed friend of Palmer's recalls her warning Gaiman to stay away from Pavlovich, noting, "You could really hurt this person and break her; keep your hands off of her." Per Pavlovich, when she revealed her ongoing sexual activity with Gaiman to Palmer, she replied, "Fourteen women have come to me about this."
Today, a representative for Palmer issued the following statement to the Times of London: "While Ms Palmer is profoundly disturbed by the allegations that Mr Gaiman has abused several women, at this time her primary concern is, and must remain, the wellbeing of her son and therefore, to guard his privacy, she has no comment on these allegations." In an Instagram post, Palmer wrote, "As there are ongoing custody and divorce proceedings, I am not able to offer public comment. Please understand that I am first and foremost a parent. I ask for privacy at this time."
Last month, before the Vulture article's release, Gaiman's longtime friend and collaborator Tori Amos commented on the allegations against him, saying she was "shocked." She continued, "And if the allegations are true, that’s not the Neil that I knew, that's not the friend that I knew, nor a friend that I ever want to know. So in some ways it’s a heartbreaking grief. I never saw that side of Neil. Neither did my crew. And my crew has seen a lot." Amos added, "I haven’t publicly said anything because: what do I say? I didn’t hire the nannies. I wasn’t there. I've never met these people. And I’ve never received a letter – of the thousands of letters I’ve gotten in 33 years – I’ve never received anything that was about Neil, except praise for his work and how much his work meant to people. That’s all I ever knew."
If you or someone you know is undergoing sexual abuse, please visit rainn.org or contact the National Sexual Assault Helpline at 1-800-656-4673.
