Three more women have alleged that Neil Gaiman sexually assaulted or abused them, following initial accusations about the acclaimed author last month.
A new report from Tortoise Media, published Thursday (August 1), detailed accusations against Gaiman from two women — one of whom reportedly signed a non-disclosure agreement following her experience with the author.
The following article contains potentially triggering material relating to sexual assault and violence. If you believe you have experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct and are looking for support, consult the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime to find resources in your area.
Caroline Wallner, the first woman in Tortoise's latest report, lived in a house on Gaiman's property in Woodstock, NY, between 2014 and 2021 with her three young daughters and, until 2017, her husband. Wallner and her spouse worked for Gaiman and his then-wife, and upon her marriage ending, Gaiman told Wallner's husband there was no more work for him on the property.
Wallner shared with Tortoise that Gaiman began pressuring her for sex, now that she and her daughters were now reliant on the author for housing and employment.
"There were little hints of, 'we're going to need the house.' And I remember saying, let's talk about it. Let's figure it out. That's when he would just come to my studio and make me give him a blowjob," Wallner told Tortoise. "And he can say it was consensual. But why would I do that? It was because I was scared of losing my place."
Wallner claims that during these incidents, Gaiman "used to say to me, 'Call me your master. Tell me you want it. Tell me you want it.' He would choke me sometimes." Whenever she resisted his advances, Gaiman would insinuate that his then-wife Amanda Palmer wanted to reclaim the home Wallner and her family were living in, telling her, "But you take care of me and I'll take care of you."
Gaiman would leave the Woodstock property during the COVID-19 pandemic, but allegedly began sending Wallner sexually explicit photos and videos of himself, asking for her to send him similar media in return. Wallner said that after she stopped answering his messages in June 2021, Gaiman had his business manager tell her to vacate the property by December.
That same month, Wallner said she and Gaiman agreed to a $275,000 NDA that "disputes and denies that Wallner has sustained any losses, damages, or injuries for which Gaiman is legally responsible."
Julia Hobsbawm, the second woman in Tortoise's latest report, alleged that Gaiman made "an aggressive, unwanted pass" at her while in her London, UK, apartment in 1986, when she was 22. She claimed that Gaiman, then 25, "jumped" on her "out of the blue," forced his tongue into her mouth, and pushed her onto her sofa, before she broke free. She then broke contact with the author.
Wallner and Hobsbawm came forward following a July report from Tortoise Media, centred on accounts from two other women who say they were sexually assaulted by Gaiman who previously had consensual relationships with him.
Rolling Stone points out that a third woman spoke about her experience with Gaiman on podcast Am I Broken: Survivor Stories, using the pseudonym Claire. In an episode published earlier this week, Claire recounts how she first met Gaiman at a book signing in 2012, and began a 10-month relationship in person, over email, text messaging and Skype.
Claire alleges that on one occasion, following an afterparty she attended with Gaiman, she sat on his lap on a car ride back to her hotel, where he allegedly tried to feel up her dress. She shared how Gaiman continued unwanted advances in the hotel lobby, pressing her against the wall, kissing her and putting his tongue in her ear.
Claire said at the time, she kissed him back in spite of feeling "gross," because "it was Neil Gaiman," and recounted, "He said to me, 'I'm a very wealthy man, and I'm used to getting what I want.'"
Claire shared that she sent Gaiman a letter expressing feelings about her experience, and that they later spoke on the phone. "His response caught me totally off guard," she said of when they spoke on the phone following the letter. "His apology felt so genuine. He told me he had no idea, and he wished I had told him sooner. He said he was glad that I told him so he could learn," adding that he claimed she kissed him first, and that he blamed his autism diagnosis for not registering her body language and social cues.
Gaiman, 63, has authored short fiction, novels, comic books and more. His original works, including The Sandman and American Gods, have been adapted for screen. He has not made a public statement either directly or through his representatives since the allegations were reported.