Master: the allegations against Neil Gaiman | Tortoise Media podcast

Author Neil Gaiman has been accused of sexual assault by two former partners in the first claims of misconduct against him, and is the subject of a police complaint in New Zealand, a new investigation from Tortoise has found.

Gaiman’s account strongly denies any allegations of non-consensual sex with the women, and says New Zealand Police did not take up his offer of assistance.

New Zealand Police said their attempts to speak to "key people" are "ongoing", adding the "location of all parties” is a consideration.

Neil Gaiman left New Zealand at the end of February 2022.

The allegations span two decades and two continents, and include non-consensual penetrative sex.

The young women first came into contact with Neil Gaiman – the bestselling author of The Sandman, Good Omens, and American Gods – as a nanny to his child and as a fan of his writing.

The women’s allegations are reported in our four-part podcast ‘Master: the allegations against Neil Gaiman’.

The series raises questions about whether Neil Gaiman had reasonable belief in consent for sex with these women, given their vulnerability.

[allourvice]

So, listening to the podcast, and these women’s own words, they admit to consent but later regretted it? I’m incredibly confused. I would never, ever want to victim-shame, but this doesn’t make sense to me, aside from vague legal nitpicking.

[MacaldaReye]

I met him when I was 13, he signed my Coraline books, I was so enamoured. I’m 29 now, I still have those books, but if this turns out to be true, I’ll rip out those signatures.

[zia]

Excellent, nuanced reporting. Well done. By really trying to argue Neil Gaiman's case, you damn him even further.

[Nightmank]

Kinda makes me think of Joss Whedon. Beloved by fans who are adoring and call him a god and acting like he’s a celebrity. Can’t say I’m surprised.

[MiralukaNaima]

I will separate the art and the artist. I love his art and will continue to love it. He is an incredible storyteller. However I think he might actually did those things and even think/believe he didn't do anything wrong and that was all consensual. Some men could have pitch black darkness in them and hid that with opposite reputation. Sadly, SA in relationships is quite common, usually by men. Just ask the women or gay men around you, almost all of them has a similar tale. Some doesn't understand "no" in some stage of sexual mind state, some think she is just playing and some of them just like to be dominant. The result is the same. Trauma, self loathing, victim blaming, most of the time silence... So we will see how will this unfold. I think we are at the beginning of this tale.

[deadman]

Thank you for breaking this story. I hope Tortoise gains immense success.

I have to tell you something. I cannot think of or even imagine a single male heterosexual fan, either of Gaiman or books in general who has not known about Gaiman's character for decades or has not detested him for it. When we tried to point it out, however, we were called misogynists and anti-feminists by the usual suspects and especially what happens to pass for _the literary establishment._

One does not even have to be an insider to notice red flags in almost ever single Gaiman book or short story. Of course a bad character is not necessarily a _raisoneur_ of the author. If that were so, there could be no drama, only melodrama. But is it really so incredibly difficult to figure it out by how a writer, especially such a good one as Gaiman, relates to characters as evinced by the plain text?

Gaiman's performative pseudo-feminism was always clearly a statement of his contempt for women. He kept doing it because it worked, and the better it worked, the greater his contempt grew. This is so obvious I feel self-conscious having to point it out.

[Heike--]

So, let's be clear, this 4-part series is NOT on Youtube? I can't see that it is.

[officialmkamzeemwatela]

Didn’t you do the Amber Heard podcast with the same sort of “research” and “certainty?”

We’ll wait

[dondawest-igqu]

Yu guys are making an app & charging to even listen to the victim's side of the story? How are you even different from the corrupts? Do a podcast on your brother too Rachel.

[something]

Well, I hope he treats the allegations against himself with all the credulity and sloganeering he has engaged in for the last several years. Yet another creep trying to hide behind being one of the good guys, oh what a surprise.

[LibroParadiso-epzt]

I still respect Gaiman and admire Sandman. The allegations haven't changed my opinion about him or his work.
I never place anyone on an unrealistic pedestal forgetting they are human just like me, so when anything unflattering or worse is revealed or alleged as in this case, I'm not disillusioned. The problem for Neil is that many of his fans don't see him as a human being and have unreasonable expectations about him. That's on them. Gaiman and the women were adults in a consensual relationship at the time. Gaiman has been cooperating with the police and they haven't found anything criminal. At this point it is delving into the sexual acts by adults, which are by nature complicated, intimate, and personal.

[kaiju_k]

He said the relationships were consensual he didn't' deny that but also didn't deny that he was rough, clever wording from him.

[mechajay]

Ironic that the same people who made a podcast on Amber, who Neil has defended, are now doing one on him.

[LianaBuzea]

I am looking forward to the episodes uploaded here as well. I had written on Threads, someone there said they'd be up on YT soon. Thank you very much. 🙏🏻

[magicalfrijoles]

Gaiman produced correspondence where the women express how they enjoyed the encounters. I'm so tired of people anonymously ruinung other people's careers and/or reputations.

[thorparra]

Dios ésto me saca de onda y me perturba mucho, Neil lleva siendo uno de mis ídolos muchos años, espero qué sea inocente, que se llegue con la verdad, pero si es culpable que sea procesado. De verdad espero que no sea culpable.

[allourvice]

Also confused because within the podcast Scarlet continuously reaches out to him (Neil) to say how much she enjoyed the things they did and how much she misses him and wants more. How was he meant to know she wasn’t okay with what they were doing/did if she only ever expressed her approval in direct interactions with him? Plus in his replies to her he continuously expresses concern and asks if she’s okay, not abruptly cutting her out or anything like that, but consistently checking in with her and offering support for over a year. I mean she legit begs him to spank her, asks for punishment tasks, etc.

[tosweetdelight]

Comments: 'I'm so sad - I know this is true.'

How could anyone who wasn't there at the time know that this is true based on the word of these two dorks? Trial by internet mob is one of the stupidest things to ever come out of the internet. I'm not defending the guy - I have no doubt that he leveraged his popularity to get some, and I think that's what burns people more than anything. You think these celebrities are supposed to be paragons of virtue, but the opposite is often the case.

[RecusantEcho]

"Doth protest too much, methinks". The jarring "social activism" Niel has perpetuated over the last few years leaves me without surprise that there are a few skeletons in the closet. I wonder how much this social credit will buffer the media onslaught.

[snowysnowyriver]

Has he been convicted yet? Just asking. Seems rather high-handed to indict him, try him, find him guilty and punish him before there has even been an arrest. Sir Cliff Richard comes to mind, as well as many others accused and found innocent. (I'm a woman by the way)