JK Rowling has criticized the "literary crowd" for not responding to the multiple accusations of sexual assault made against author Neil Gaiman.
Gaiman has written nearly 50 books, including American Gods, Coraline and Good Omens, as well as the comic series The Sandman. New York Magazine published a story on January 13 that detailed old and new allegations various women have made against the author. The article builds on information from Tortoise Media's six-part podcast Master: The Allegations Against Neil Gaiman, released in July and August 2024.
In the article, women spoke of Gaiman asking for them to call him "master" and claimed that some alleged assaults occurred at Gaiman's home. One even allegedly occurred in a hotel room with his son nearby. Rowling responded by comparing the reaction to the claims to the initial reactions against incarcerated rapist Harvey Weinstein.
Newsweek emailed spokespeople for Rowling and Gaiman on Tuesday. Rowling declined to comment.
"The literary crowd that had a hell of a lot to say about Harvey Weinstein before he was convicted has been strangely muted in its response to multiple accusations against Neil Gaiman from young women who'd never met, yet—as with Weinstein —tell remarkably similar stories," the Harry Potter author wrote on X (formerly Twitter) the day the story was published.
At the time of writing, her post had been viewed 1.5 million times.
The literary crowd that had a hell of a lot to say about Harvey Weinstein before he was convicted has been strangely muted in its response to multiple accusations against Neil Gaiman from young women who'd never met, yet - as with Weinstein - tell remarkably similar stories.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 13, 2025Gaiman, like Weinstein, has been accused of not just assaulting women but allegedly utilizing NDAs and payoffs to silence his alleged victims. Gaiman, through his representatives, says these were all consensual encounters.
Weinstein is currently serving a 16-year sentence for rape and sexual assault in California.
One of Gaiman's accusers, Scarlett Pavlovich, told New York Magazine the author made multiple sexual advances toward her.
She recounted one encounter in graphic detail in which she said he told her to "Call me 'master'" and said "Be a good girl. You're a good little girl."
Representatives for Gaiman told the Tortoise podcast that "sexual degradation, bondage, domination, sadism and masochism may not be to everyone's taste, but between consenting adults, BDSM is lawful."
The award-winning author is involved in the second season of The Sandman for Netflix and a Good Omens finale for Prime Video. While Gaiman helped in writing the finale, he stepped down from his position as showrunner in September when the first round of accusations against him surfaced.
Newsweek emailed Netflix and Prime Video for comment on Tuesday outside of normal business hours.
Rowling isn't without controversy of her own. Over the past few years, the Harry Potter writer has sparked debate—and backlash—over her expressed statements on transgender women, leading some activists to brand Rowling a "TERF"—an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist.
Online fan communities distanced themselves from her, with some removing her name from fan content or organizing boycotts of Harry Potter-related products. Rowling herself leaned into her controversial status by engaging with her critics on X, framing herself as someone standing against "cancel culture" and advocating for women's rights.
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