- - Neil Gaiman breaks yearlong silence after 'nightmarish' assault lawsuit

KiMi Robinson, USA TODAYFebruary 3, 2026 at 3:26 AM

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Neil Gaiman is addressing his "nightmarish year and a half" since several women came forward in media reports and alleged he had sexually assaulted them.

In a Feb. 2 statement shared on his website, the 65-year-old "Coraline" author thanked fans for "your belief in my innocence and your support for my work." In the post, he also doubled down on his denial of the claims in his son's former babysitter Scarlett Pavlovich's lawsuit, which was filed almost exactly a year ago on Feb. 3, 2025, calling it 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.

Author Neil Gaiman attends the 2024 Writers Guild Awards ceremony on April 14, 2024, in New York City.

"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)," his post continued.

He went on to denounce media outlets' reporting on Pavlovich's lawsuit, saying the information that was disseminated "was simply an echo chamber" and "dismissed or ignored" "actual evidence."

In a March 2025 court filing that was part of Gaiman's team's request for the judge to dismiss Pavlovich's case, Gaiman shared some of his alleged WhatsApp message exchanges with Pavlovich. His defense lawyers wrote that the "correspondence reflects not only that Gaiman's alleged conduct was consensual, but also on many occasions, it was initiated and/or encouraged by Plaintiff herself."

In an alleged March 26, 2022, message screenshot included in the defense's court filing, Pavlovich wrote to Gaiman, "It was consensual — how many times do I have to … tell everyone."

The text was allegedly sent two days after Gaiman told her he'd learned she was "telling people I'd raped you and were planning to Me Too me."

"It's been a strange, turbulent and occasionally nightmarish year and a half," Gaiman wrote in his Feb. 2 blog post. He ended the message with the announcement that his next book is underway and is "looking like it's going to be the biggest thing I've done since American Gods."

What Neil Gaiman has said: Author fired back at Pavlovich's rape claims, shared texts

Why Neil Gaiman's ex-babysitter's lawsuit was dismissed

On Oct. 3, a federal judge dismissed Pavlovich's lawsuit with prejudice, meaning she could move to reopen the case in Wisconsin if she "sues Gaiman in New Zealand and he refuses to be served there," U.S. District Court Judge James D. Peterson wrote in his order.

Pavlovich's lawyers have appealed Peterson's ruling. USA TODAY has reached out to the attorneys for comment.

Nail Gaiman's "Good Omens" was turned into a popular Amazon Prime Video series starring Michael Sheen (right) and David Tennant.

In her lawsuit, which also named Gaiman's ex-wife Amanda Palmer, Pavlovich claimed Gaiman "repeatedly raped" her and "received free sexual services and labor" from her in 2022.

The accusations allegedly occurred while Pavlovich was a live-in nanny for Gaiman and wife, Amanda Palmer's child in their New Zealand home. At the time, she was around 24, while Gaiman was 61.

Pavlovich previously leveled these allegations in a Vulture report published Jan. 13. Prior to this, in July 2024, a seven-episode podcast series from U.K. media outlet Tortoise detailed allegations from several accusers.

In the aftermath of these assault allegations, a handful of companies have either cut ties with or distanced themselves from the bestselling fantasy writer behind "The Sandman," "Good Omens" and "American Gods."

Gaiman has repeatedly denied all sexual assault allegations against him.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Neil Gaiman slams 'smear campaign' sexual assault claims

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