Neil Gaiman denies sexual assault allegations: 'I don't accept there was any abuse'

Author Neil Gaiman, who's been accused of sexual assault by numerous women, opened up about the allegations in an open letter Tuesday.
Author Neil Gaiman, who's been accused of sexual assault by numerous women, opened up about the allegations in an open letter Tuesday.

Neil Gaiman, who's been accused of sexual assault by nearly a dozen women, is speaking out on the allegations.

In a lengthy open letter shared on his official website Tuesday, the British author said he's "watched the stories circulating the internet about me with horror and dismay."

"I've stayed quiet until now, both out of respect for the people who were sharing their stories and out of a desire not to draw even more attention to a lot of misinformation," Gaiman, 64, wrote. "I've always tried to be a private person, and felt increasingly that social media was the wrong place to talk about important personal matters."

He added: "I've now reached the point where I feel that I should say something."

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Background: Neil Gaiman accused of sexual assault by 9 women

Allegations against Gaiman, the writer behind fantasy titles including "The Sandman," "Good Omens," "American Gods" and "Coraline," began in summer 2024 when a six-episode podcast series from U.K. media outlet Tortoise, titled "Master: the allegations against Neil Gaiman," outlined five allegations of sexual assault.

The abuse claims continued on Monday as Vulture published a report detailing four additional allegations that "share elements" with the accounts of Gaiman's other accusers. The outlet is said to have reviewed texts, diary entries, emails with friends and police communications.

The youngest alleged victim was 18, but most of the women were in their 20s when the alleged assaults occurred, while Gaiman was in his 40s or older, with one exception in which a woman claims the writer forcibly kissed her in 1986 (when Gaiman was in his mid-20s). Some of the women were fans, and a few worked with him at the time of the alleged incidents.

Neil Gaiman says he 'never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity'

Following the allegations, which range from forcible oral and anal sex to physical beatings, Gaiman's representatives responded to some outlets, claiming the alleged incidents were consensual and instances of practicing BDSM (bondage, discipline/dominance, submission/sadism and masochism).

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"As I read through this latest collection of accounts, there are moments I half-recognize and moments I don't, descriptions of things that happened sitting beside things that emphatically did not happen," Gaiman reflected on Tuesday. "I'm far from a perfect person, but I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever."

Gaiman said he's reviewed his messages with the women who've accused him of assault and claims the communications demonstrate "two people enjoying entirely consensual sexual relationships and wanting to see one another again."

"At the time I was in those relationships, they seemed positive and happy on both sides," Gaiman wrote. "I also realize, looking through them, years later, that I could have and should have done so much better."

He continued: "I was emotionally unavailable while being sexually available, self-focused and not as thoughtful as I could or should have been. I was obviously careless with people's hearts and feelings, and that's something that I really, deeply regret. It was selfish of me. I was caught up in my own story and I ignored other people's."

Since last summer, some projects connected to Gaiman have reportedly been paused or trimmed. IndieWire reported in September 2024 that Disney had paused its film adaptation of Gaiman's "The Graveyard Book." And in October, it was reported that the Amazon Prime Video series "Good Omens" would end with a 90-minute TV movie episode, as opposed to a full third season, which Amazon MGM Studios later confirmed to USA TODAY.

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"Like most of us, I'm learning, and I'm trying to do the work needed, and I know that that's not an overnight process," Gaiman wrote. "I hope that with the help of good people, I'll continue to grow. I understand that not everyone will believe me or even care what I say but I'll be doing the work anyway, for myself, my family and the people I love."

However, Gaiman concluded that some of the allegations brought against him are "horrible stories ... (that) simply never happened," while others are "so distorted from what actually took place that they bear no relationship to reality."

"I don't accept there was any abuse," Gaiman wrote. "I am prepared to take responsibility for any missteps I made. I'm not willing to turn my back on the truth, and I can't accept being described as someone I am not, and cannot and will not admit to doing things I didn't do."

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.

Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Neil Gaiman denies sexual assault allegations in open letter