Fantasy author Neil Gaiman has publicly rejected sexual misconduct allegations from nine women, calling them “completely and simply untrue” and describing the past year of reporting and online discussion as a coordinated effort to damage his reputation. In a statement posted Monday, Gaiman said he possesses “emails, text messages and video evidence” that he argues contradict key claims.
The Wrap reported that Gaiman framed the accusations as a “smear campaign” fueled by viral outrage, and said he was “astonished” that some coverage, in his view, echoed earlier accounts while brushing aside evidence he says exists. Gaiman also pointed readers to third-party material he characterized as fact-based analysis, while saying he has had no direct contact with the person behind it.
The allegations, first aired in 2024 via an investigative podcast and later expanded through a magazine investigation, include claims of assault, coercion and abusive dynamics across multiple years and locations. One accuser, Scarlett Pavlovich, has alleged that Gaiman assaulted her after he hired her as a nanny in 2022. Gaiman has said past relationships were consensual and has repeatedly denied any non-consensual sexual activity.
Pavlovich filed civil lawsuits in the United States in February 2025 that also named Gaiman’s estranged wife, Amanda Palmer, and sought damages while alleging rape, sexual assault, coercion and human trafficking. The Associated Press reported that Gaiman denied the claims and that the filings describe Pavlovich’s financial vulnerability and employment arrangement as central to her account.
Court activity has continued alongside professional fallout. Reporting over the past year has detailed publishers and partners pausing or canceling projects connected to Gaiman’s work, including comics and stage plans, while some screen adaptations already in production have moved forward under existing commitments. Gaiman, in his new statement, said he has resumed writing and expects to finish a novel.
