Author Neil Gaiman accused of sexual assault by multiple women in New York Magazine cover story – Culture

TRIGGER WARNING: This story contains references to sexual assault.

Several women have accused the British writer Neil Gaiman of sexual assault in a New York Magazine cover historymonths after the first accusations against him.

It is the first time a major news organization has confirmed the full extent of the reporting after Turtle mediain a six-part podcast titled Masterbroke the news that Gaiman was accused of sexual assault. In the podcast, several women used only their first names or pseudonyms to protect themselves, but they revealed their identities to New York Magazine history, Black reported.

In the piece, “There Is No Safe Word: How the bestselling fantasy author Neil Gaiman hid the darkest parts of himself for decades,” eight women who had similar experiences with Gaiman were interviewed, four of whom also participated in the podcast.

Scarlett Pavlovich, one of the women who came forward with allegations of assault, met Gaiman’s ex-wife, American singer Amanda Palmer in New Zealand and quickly agreed to look after the couple’s five-year-old child. According to Pavlovich, the Coraline the writer encouraged her to take a bath in a bathtub in his garden when they first met, and soon after joined her in the tub without her consent and sexually assaulted her.

After the incident, Palmer asked if Pavlovich could live with her as a babysitter for the foreseeable future, and Pavlovich agreed because “she was devastated and hadn’t been able to find a new apartment. She had been homeless at the beginning of the pandemic ” and considered not contacting his family due to past abuse.

Pavlovich told New York Magazine that the assault continued while she was a baby for Gaiman’s son, including instances where he forced himself on her in the child’s presence. In one such incident in a hotel room, the author spoke to his son while participating in the action, while Pavlovich was in a “state of shock”.

According to BlackGaiman has denied all allegations against him since the podcast came out, claiming all relationships were consensual. In a statement responding to Pavlovich’s claim about the hotel room incident, his representatives called it “false, not to mention deplorable.”

The article said that all the women who came forward against the author at one point played along by calling him “master”, but specific BDSM activities (bottom, dominance, sadism, masochism) were not discussed or agreed upon until it happened , which the publication highlighted was key in relationships of that nature.

Pavlovich claimed that a week into his time with the family, their son began “addressing her as ‘slave’ and ordering Pavlovich to call him ‘master'”, and Gaiman “seemed to find it amusing”.

She remained in contact with Gaiman, once assuring him through text messages that their interactions had been consensual. Eventually, Pavlovich signed a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) and was paid $9,200 in nine separate payments for her babysitting services.

Pavlovich filed a police report accusing the writer of assault in January 2023, but a police spokesman told the publication the case was “closed”.

Another accuser, Caroline, also signed an NDA with Gaiman. She worked as a caretaker and babysitter at Gaiman’s New York estate, and the two began an intimate relationship after Caroline’s husband left her in 2017.

Caroline also recounted an incident in which Gaiman attempted to initiate sexual contact while his son was sleeping between him and Caroline. She said she jumped out of bed, adding: “He had no boundaries. I remember thinking there was something really wrong with him.”

She claimed that in December 2021, the author’s business manager offered her $5,000 to sign an NDA and move from the property, but she asked for $300,000 and Gaiman accepted. His representatives said so New York Magazine that Caroline initiated the meetings and denied “that he engaged in any sexual activity with her in the presence of his son.”

Kendra Stout, another woman who claimed Gaiman assaulted her, was 18 years old when she first met him at a book signing, and their relationship became physical three years later. She alleged that Gaiman raped her in 2007 after she expressly told him that she did not want to participate in the act due to a urinary tract infection. The publication detailed that she filed a police report in October.

New York Magazine also interviewed Kathrine Kendall, who claimed Gaiman tried to assault her on his tour bus after she said she did not want to engage in sexual activity with him. According to the article, the author gave her $60,000 in therapy years later to, as he put it, “cover some of the damage.”

Many of Gaiman’s film and television projects were disrupted due to the allegations. Season three of Good omens will end up being a 90-minute episode, and Gaiman will not be part of the production team, Black reported. In addition, Disney stopped its film adaptation The cemetery bookwhile Netflix canceled Dead Boy DetectivesHowever, it was not specified whether their actions were due to the accusations against the author.

On the other hand, Netflix’s The Sandman will premiere this year on the streaming platform, as it will Prime videos Anansi boys, Black listed.