Neil Gaiman breaks silence: sexual assault allegations are ‘smear campaign’

Neil Gaiman has issued his strongest public denial yet of multiple sexual assault allegations, claiming the accusations are false and the result of what he described as a coordinated “smear campaign”.

In a post shared on his Facebook author page on Monday evening, Gaiman addressed the claims for the first time in almost a year, aside from a brief book-related update in November. The 65-year-old author said the experience had shown him “how effective a smear campaign can be”.

“The allegations against me are completely and simply untrue,” Gaiman wrote. “There are emails, text messages and video evidence that flatly contradict them.”

Gaiman is the author of bestselling works including American Gods and The Ocean at the End of the Lane. He has faced allegations of sexual abuse and coercive behaviour that were first detailed in a podcast investigation by Tortoise Media in July 2024.

The claims gained renewed attention in January 2025, when New York Magazine published its own investigation. At the time, Gaiman said he had “never engaged in nonconsensual sexual activity with anyone”.

‘Outrage and getting clicks’

In his latest statement, Gaiman accused critics and media coverage of amplifying allegations without properly weighing evidence he says contradicts the claims.

“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,” he said.

Gaiman added that he had expected in-depth investigations to examine what he described as “mountains of evidence”, but claimed much of the reporting instead became an “echo chamber”.

“I was astonished to see how much of the reporting was simply an echo chamber, and how the actual evidence was dismissed or ignored,” he wrote.

Nine women have accused Gaiman of sexual misconduct, including Scarlett Pavlovich, a former nanny for Gaiman and his wife, musician Amanda Palmer. The couple share a son and are currently going through a divorce.

Fallout and next steps

The allegations have already had professional consequences. Comic publisher Dark Horse Comics has dropped Gaiman, while DC Comics removed a planned reprint of The Sandman from its schedule.

A stage adaptation of Gaiman’s children’s novel Coraline was also cancelled last year following the emergence of the allegations.

Despite the backlash and loss of industry support, Gaiman said he has returned to writing and is close to completing a new novel.

“One thing that’s kept me going through all this madness is the conviction that the truth would, eventually, come out,” he wrote.

He ended by thanking supporters who have continued to back him during the controversy.

“Thank you again to so many of you for your belief in my innocence and your support for my work,” Gaiman said.