Neil Gaiman speaks out after yearlong silence following sexual assault lawsuit

Neil Gaiman has spoken publicly for the first time in more than a year following sexual assault allegations made against him, describing the period as a “strange, turbulent and occasionally nightmarish year and a half”.

In a statement published on his website on February 2, the 65-year-old author thanked supporters for “your belief in my innocence and your support for my work” and again denied allegations raised in a lawsuit filed by his son’s former babysitter, Scarlett Pavlovich, almost a year earlier. He described the claims as a “smear campaign”.

“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,” Gaiman wrote.

He criticised media coverage of the case, arguing that reporting had prioritised outrage over verification. “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 said.

Gaiman also said information surrounding the lawsuit had become “simply an echo chamber” that “dismissed or ignored” evidence he says supports his account.

Court documents filed in March 2025 as part of Gaiman’s request to dismiss the case included alleged WhatsApp messages between him and Pavlovich. According to the defence filing, the correspondence showed the interactions were consensual and, at times, initiated by Pavlovich. One screenshot dated 26 March 2022 allegedly showed Pavlovich writing, “It was consensual — how many times do I have to … tell everyone.”

In October, a federal judge dismissed Pavlovich’s lawsuit with prejudice, though her legal team has since appealed the decision. Pavlovich has alleged that Gaiman repeatedly raped her while she was employed as a live-in nanny in New Zealand in 2022, claims Gaiman has consistently denied.

Gaiman concluded his statement by confirming he is working on a new book, which he said is “looking like it's going to be the biggest thing I've done since American Gods”.