Numerous Women Accuse ‘Coraline’ Author Neil Gaiman Of Sexual Assault
Neil Gaiman, 64, the bestselling author whose works include Coraline, which was adapted into a stop-motion feature by Laika, has been accused of sexual assault by multiple women in a story published by New York Magazine.
Four of the eight accusers in the NY Mag piece also spoke out last July, using pseudonyms or first names only, in a six-part podcast, “Master,” that was released by U.K. media outlet Tortoise Media.
The author of the new report, Lila Shapiro, said that besides the testimony of the accusers, she reviewed diary entries, texts, emails with friends, messages between Gaiman and the women, and correspondence with law enforcement. Details of the alleged assaults and rapes can be found in the NY Mag story. The article also includes new details about how Gaiman and his handlers used NDAs and payoffs to the accusers to keep the stories from becoming public.
In a post on his journal today, Gaiman denied all the allegations and said that all of his sexual encounters were consensual.
It is unclear how the accusations against Gaiman will affect his work in animation. Last year’s theatrical revival of Coraline became the highest-grossing re-release in the U.S. in the past decade, and last November, Laika launched an interactive tie-in experience on Roblox, Coraline: Evade the Others. The film is the third-highest-grossing stop-motion film of all-time globally.
Gaiman has multiple other animation projects currently in development. In 2024, it was announced that Gaiman was working with Graphic India to adapt his short story Cinnamon into an animated feature to be directed by Jeevan J. Kang. Henry Selick, who directed Coraline, has also said that he is working with Gaiman to adapt the 2013 novel The Ocean at the End of the Lane into a feature. Selick described it as “almost a sequel” to Coraline.
After the first round of accusations last year, Amazon cancelled the third season of Gaiman’s live-action fantasy Good Omens. Netflix still plans to release a second season of Gaiman’s The Sandman later this year.
