Neil Gaiman has released a new statement denying the accusations of assault made against him, and expressing his frustration at the reporting of the claims by the media.
In July 2024, Gaiman was accused of sexual assault by two women, who told Tortoise Media that they had experienced “rough and degrading” sex which they claim was not always consensual. Gaiman denied the allegations, but subsequently stepped down from the final season of Prime Video’s adaptation of Good Omens.
In January, further details of alleged sexual assault emerged against Gaiman, with more women detailing their experiences with the writer. Gaiman wrote a lengthy post denying the further accusations, insisting that “some of the horrible stories now being told simply never happened.”
In a new statement, shared by Variety, the author reiterated his denial of the accusations, and expressed frustration at press coverage of them.
“It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything anywhere, but I didn’t want to let any more time go by without thanking everyone for all your kind messages of support over the last year and a half,” the statement began. “I’ve learned firsthand how effective a smear campaign can be, so to be clear: The allegations against me are completely and simply untrue. There are emails, text messages and video evidence that flatly contradict them. 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. (They didn’t.)”
He continued: “One thing that’s kept me going through all this madness is the conviction that the truth would, eventually, come out. I expected that when the allegations were first made there would be journalism, and that the journalism would take the (mountains of) evidence into account, and was astonished to see how much of the reporting was simply an echo chamber, and how the actual evidence was dismissed or ignored.”
Later in the statement, Neil Gaiman revealed he had been working on new writing. “It’s been a strange, turbulent and occasionally nightmarish year and a half, but I took my own advice (when things get tough, make good art) and once I was done with making television I went back to doing something else I love even more: writing. I thought it was going to be a fairly short project when I began it, but it’s looking like it’s going to be the biggest thing I’ve done since American Gods. It’s already much longer than The Ocean At The End Of The Lane, and it’s barely finished wiping its boots and hanging up its coat. And I spend half of every month being a full-time Dad, and that remains the best bit of my life.”
Last April, Good Omens star David Tennant spoke about Gaiman’s departure. “There’s been a slight rejig with the personnel,” he said, before adding: “But we still get to tell that story – I think it would have been very difficult to leave it on a cliffhanger. So I’m glad that’s been worked out.”
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