Acclaimed British author Neil Gaiman, who is widely known for ‘The Sandman’, has faced fresh allegations of sexual misconduct and assault, months after he faced similar charges against him.
In an article published in New York Magazine’s entertainment website Vulture, titled "There Is No Safe Word", eight women have shared allegations of assault, coercion, or abuse by Gaiman, including the woman who worked as a nanny for him and his second wife, Amanda Palmer.
The nanny described being sexually assaulted in February 2022 by Gaiman in New Zealand in a backyard bathtub. She also alleged the 64-year-old assaulted her under the blankets on a hotel room bed while his son played with an iPad in the same room.
Among the accusers is Scarlett Pavlovich, who used to babysit Neil Gaiman's child. Pavlovich has claimed that she was close to Amanda Palmer, Neil Gaiman’s ex-wife, and used to babysit their child when she was away.
Here is all you need to know about ‘The Sandman’ author:
Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (born on 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre, and screenplays.
His works include ‘The Sandman’ comic book series and the novels Good Omens, Stardust, Anansi Boys, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book. He co-created the TV series adaptations of Good Omens and The Sandman.
Family and childhood:
Born in 1960, Gaiman’s father, David Bernard Gaiman, worked in the same chain of stores. His mother, Sheila Gaiman, was a pharmacist.
Gaiman's family is of Polish-Jewish and other Ashkenazi origins. Neil’s great-grandfather emigrated to England from Antwerp before 1914 and his grandfather settled in the Hampshire city of Portsmouth on the south coast of England and established a chain of grocery stores, changing the family name from Chaiman to Gaiman.
David Bernard Gaiman, Neil’s father, was a British businessman and head of the UK branch of Church of Scientology. Born in 1933, David Gaiman went to The Portsmouth Grammar School and subsequently joined the British Army where he rose to the rank of sergeant. He returned to Portsmouth on leaving the army to work for his father in the grocery stores. However, David thoroughly detested this job.
He eventually decided to go into business for himself, despite his father's displeasure.
David married Sheila in 1959, and Neil was born in 1960.
The Gaiman family then moved away from their home in Portchester in 1962.
When the Gaimans discovered Scientology, they moved to East Grinstead, West Sussex, in 1965. David joined the staff of the Church of Scientology at nearby Saint Hill Manor, eventually becoming the church's chief UK media spokesman.
Neil has two younger sisters, Claire Edwards and Lizzy Calcioli.
Romantic relationships, marriage, and life ahead:
Gaiman has lived near Menomonie, Wisconsin, since 1992.
Back then, Gaiman moved there to be close to the family of his then-wife, Mary McGrath, with whom he has three children.
He was in a romantic relationship with songwriter and performer Amanda Palmer between 2009 and 2020. The couple announced that they were dating in June 2009, and announced their engagement in January 2010.
Amanda MacKinnon Palmer, an American singer, songwriter, musician, and performance artist who is the lead vocalist, pianist, and lyricist of the duo The Dresden Dolls, performs as a solo artist and was also a member of the duo Evelyn Evelyn and the lead singer and songwriter of Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra. She has gained a cult fanbase and was one of the first musical artists to popularize the use of crowdfunding websites.
Gaiman and Palmer had an open marriage.
On 16 November 2010, Palmer hosted a non-legally-binding flash mob wedding for Gaiman's birthday in New Orleans. They were legally married on 2 January 2011. The wedding took place in the parlor of writers Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon.
On marrying Palmer, Gaiman took her middle name, MacKinnon, as one of his names.
In September 2015, they had a son.
In 2020, Palmer announced on her Patreon that she and Gaiman had separated and requested privacy. Gaiman stated in a blog post that their split was "my fault, I'm afraid" and also requested privacy.
Later, the couple released a joint statement clarifying that they were not, however, getting divorced.
They reconciled in 2021, but in November 2022 they released a joint statement to announce they were divorcing.
Gaiman has had a long friendship with the musician Tori Amos, a Sandman fan who became friends with Gaiman after making a reference to "Neil and the Dream King" on her 1991 demo tape. He included her in turn as a character (a talking tree) in his novel Stardust, and she guest-starred in that role in the BBC Radio 4 audio drama.
Amos also mentions Gaiman in her songs, "Tear in Your Hand" ("If you need me, me and Neil'll be hangin' out with the dream king. Neil says hi by the way"), "Space Dog" ("Where's Neil when you need him?"), "Horses" ("But will you find me if Neil makes me a tree?"), "Carbon" ("Get me Neil on the line, no I can't hold. Have him read, 'Snow, Glass, Apples' where nothing is what it seems"), "Sweet Dreams" ("You're forgetting to fly, darling, when you sleep"), and "Not Dying Today" ("Neil is thrilled he can claim he's mammalian, 'but the bad news,' he said, 'girl you're a dandelion'").
Gaiman is godfather to Tori Amos's daughter Tash, and wrote a poem called "Blueberry Girl" for Tori and Tash. The poem was adapted into a book by illustrator Charles Vess.
Gaiman read the poem aloud to an audience at the Sundance Kabuki Theater in San Francisco on 5 October 2008 during his book reading tour for The Graveyard Book. It was published in March 2009 with the title Blueberry Girl.
The controversies:
In July 2024, five women accused Gaiman of sexual assault and abuse. All five of these women were interviewed on the Tortoise Media podcast Master: The Allegations Against Neil Gaiman. One, who used the pseudonym "Claire", was also interviewed by The New York Times. Claire described being kissed and groped by Gaiman without her consent after meeting him at a book tour event. A woman identified as "K", who also first met Gaiman at a book signing, said that during their relationship he subjected her to painful sex that she "neither wanted nor enjoyed".
Scarlett Pavlovich, a former nanny for Gaiman and Palmer's child, "alleges that Gaiman sexually assaulted her within hours of their first meeting in February 2022 in a bath at his New Zealand residence". A former tenant of Gaiman's named Caroline Wallner alleges that he demanded sexual favors in exchange for being allowed to continue living on his property.
The writer Julia Hobsbawm accused Gaiman of "an aggressive, unwanted pass" and described how Gaiman pushed her onto a sofa and French kissed her in 1986. Gaiman has denied engaging in non-consensual sex and dismissed the Hobsbawm incident as his misreading a situation.
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