British author Neil Gaiman, celebrated for his works such as Good Omens, American Gods, and The Sandman, is under scrutiny again as new allegations of sexual misconduct and assault emerge. Months after similar accusations surfaced, eight women have come forward with harrowing accounts of coercion, abuse, and assault in a New York Magazine article titled ‘There Is No Safe Word’.
One of the accusers, who worked as a nanny for Gaiman and his second wife, musician Amanda Palmer, shared a detailed account of her experiences. She alleged that Gaiman sexually assaulted her in February 2022 in New Zealand. According to her, the assault took place in a backyard bathtub and later in a hotel room while his son played nearby.
Quoting her testimony, the article states, “He [Gaiman] said, ‘Call me master, and I'll come’. He said, ‘Be a good girl. You’re a good little girl’.”
The report also highlights that most of the women Gaiman allegedly abused were in their 20s, with the youngest being 18 at the time. Gaiman was in his 40s or older during these alleged incidents.
This is not the first time the author has faced such allegations. In July 2024, five women accused Gaiman of similar misconduct in ‘Master’, a six-part podcast series produced by Tortoise Media.
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JK Rowling calls out silence in the literary community
Harry Potter author JK Rowling addressed the allegations on Monday, drawing a parallel to the infamous Harvey Weinstein cases. Rowling criticised the literary community for its apparent reluctance to speak out against Gaiman.
“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,” Rowling wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
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
Weinstein, once a powerful figure in Hollywood, was convicted in 2020 for sexually assaulting Miriam Haley in 2006 and raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013. Over 80 women accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, leading to his sentencing of 23 years in prison for the New York case and an additional 16 years for a California case.