Neil Gaiman Accused Of Sexual Assault Pt II

[hihelenhi]

As we're nearly at the end of the first thread, let's make sure we keep the topic current.

There have been five women now who have spoken to podcasts about the predatory behaviour of Neil Gaiman.

First thread here:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5112128-neil-gaiman-accused-of-sexual-assault

It's a while since I listened to the Tortoise podcast. Didn't their investigation start with 2 women in the first batch of episodes, and then more came.forward and were covered in the later episodes ? If so, that might explain the miscount - somebody read the intro for episode 1 and didn't bother checking the rest.

That's a good point, and I think you're right, @NoBinturongsHereMate - the confusing thing is that they talk about "two women" and then mention Caroline, the tenant, who IIRC wasn't introduced until quite late in the podcast episodes.

The young woman in America in the early 2000s isn't mentioned by them.

I wonder also if NG’s lawyers have been busy and aggressive.

A lot of people make a lot of money from NG. That is quite an incentive to make things go away or at least not be as bad as they are.

Agree, I don't think it's anything to do with his lawyers. NY mag would have checked all this.

It's a journalist's job to do the investigation and research though. It's also an international newspaper's role to fact check their output. Tortoise is a linked company too.

They may argue that the Guardian article is correct because one Tortoise podcast did identify two women, but the series of podcasts identified multiple others and a pattern of abuse. Sian Cain needs to review her piece, it's telling new readers nothing and is misleading. I don't recall an article using such extensive verbatim quotes from a statement with no analysis.

Key points are missing: the claim that his wife knew of 14 others, multiple NDAs and pay offs, his offer of support to a rape crisis centre to offset his behaviour - that he didn't pay, Tori Amos (which appeared in their paper!) etc. The Guardian must have known this story wouldn't go away and should have been more prepared. It's oddly buried.

They may argue that the Guardian article is correct because one Tortoise podcast did identify two women

It did, but they don't present both those women, they mention Scarlett but then also Caroline who wasn't in the original few episodes.

This Hollywood defamation lawyer is reported to be representing him (together with a PR firm) :
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-60099934.amp

This is where the Brettler appointment was reported:
https://www.npr.org/2025/01/14/nx-s1-5259516/neil-gaiman-response-sexual-misconduct-allegations
Prince Andrew’s lawyer 🙄

This was doing the rounds on Facebook, I’m not personally sure, but it looks like a whole lot of his seminal series The Sandman was ripped off from an earlier female writer Tanith Lee. Never credited her:

www.facebook.com/share/p/1BR7ZRueN4/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Thank you, I will add Tanith Lee's Flat Earth series to my reading list. I think I've only ever read one of her short stories (Red as Blood, a twisted version of Snow White) but it was fabulous, I look forward to reading more by her.

Sadly it never surprises me when a celebrated man doesn't give credit to a talented but underrated woman. It's more of a shock when he does.

I see Amanda Palmer has broken cover. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jan/16/amanda-palmer-profoundly-disturbed-by-sexual-assault-allegations-against-ex-partner-neil-gaiman?CMP=ShareiOSAppp_Other

How utterly predictable. Her eventual comment is “no comment.”

I think using her son as a shield to avoid having to comment is despicable, actually.

I'm no fan of AP at all, but it's possible she has been told not to comment by her lawyer, as it could be seen as bad to say anything negative about her child's other parent but also she can't credibly say anything good either. I also think it's dodgy when sleb parents have public slanging matches that their DC will be able to read about when older or hear about from classmates etc. So I kind of respect this choice, though not certain other things she's done and said in the past.

Interesting about Tanith Lee - I read some of her books as a young teenager. Good but definitely with a Poe-esque Gothic quality!

I appreciate she isn’t going to/can’t comment but I think this latest article has brought a lot of questions for AP. Previously on her social media posters who commented on NG were shouted down but now a number, who say they’re long-time fans and Patreon supporters have posted their disappointment.

Ooh is that the really creepy version where Snow White is evil and the stepmother has (IIRC) a very nasty end? That's stuck in my mind ever since I read it years ago, but I could never remember who it was by! (Apologies for tangent...)

I think there are ways to word a no comment response which subtly convey an unspoken message…should you want to, of course.

On the other hand, if you were complicit in the whole sordid affair and well aware of what Sleazeball Gaiman was getting up to, then you probably would hide behind your son as an excuse….. 😑🤷‍♀️

Rachel Johnson has a piece in Mail Plus (ie behind a paywall) about the investigation. Most of it is stuff we already know, but it's a useful recap:

archive.is/SjjJJ

Helen Lewis discusses this in her newsletter today and commends the Tortoise media podcast, which was the original and pioneering investigative journalism, which has been overlooked. A typical US isolationist response, really - news is only news when reported in the US.

‘But I just get sexual gratification from hurting and degrading women during sex, so it’s very important for me to source victims consenting sexual partners. What’s a guy to do?’

if you want to hurt and degrade people, don’t. Even if you’ll really, really enjoy it. Hope that helps Neil.

This story is also being discussed elsewhere:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5251908-fucking-neil-gaiman

That thread links to this interesting tweet: https://x.com/RachelSJohnson/status/1878776384199209442

Very interesting that Johnson seems to be suggesting, in that tweet, that they were aware of much more but couldn't report for legal reasons. Thank goodness this is all finally coming out. What an utterly nasty man.

So the stricter UK libel laws may have curtailed the Guardian being so detailed. It's interesting that the report was made to Devon and Cornwall Police.

Hmm, while they are, I'm not convinced that's the reason. If Tortoise can do it, so can the Gruaniad. I think it's more that they chose to downplay the accusations against one of their pet "good guy" authors, as well as make sure their dedication to "sex positive kink" narratives for middle class supposed progressives remained unchallenged.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/17/neil-gaiman-allegations-sexual-assault

Piece by Marina Hyde.