Did Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer have an open relationship? Sandman author accused of alleged s*xual abuse by ex-wife’s former babysitter

Celebrated author Neil Gaiman has been accused of s*xual assault by multiple women including a former babysitter of his and his ex-wife’s child.

According to Vulture, Gaiman and Amanda Palmer were in an open relationship at the time of their marriage. The two tied the knot on January 2, 2011, and welcomed their son, Anthony “Ash” Palmer in September 2015. They announced their divorce in November 2022.

A report in Distractify stated that many of the alleged incidents occurred during his marriage to Palmer. He was first accused of s*xual assault in 2024 by five different women, a report in People magazine indicated. However, Gaiman’s team of representatives have denied his previous allegations, claiming the relationships were consensual, according to USA Today.

It is important to note that Gaiman has not been charged with these claims and these are only accusations for the time being.

In an interview with Vulture, their former babysitter, Scarlett Pavlovich, said she and Palmer had been friends since 2020. Palmer asked her to babysit her and Gaiman’s son at their home in New Zealand in 2022. The couple were separated at that time.

She claimed to be r*ped, assaulted, and degraded by Gaiman on multiple occasions while his son was also in the room, as per a report in Rolling Stones. It included a February 2022 incident when Gaiman allegedly sexually assaulted her in a bathtub in New Zealand.

Neil Gaiman’s relationship with Amanda Palmer including their open marriage and parenting decisions provides essential context for understanding the allegations against him.

Exploring the relationship timeline of Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer

The ex-couple first met in 2008. Palmer was dealing with issues related to her record label while Gaiman experienced success with his works being adapted for film and television. It included Neverwhere (1996), MirrorMask (2005), and Stardust (2007), per Vulture magazine.

They connected when Palmer asked him to caption a photo of herself in which she posed as “a murdered corpse." Their meeting eventually turned into a romance. The duo got married in January 2011 at the home of their friends Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman.

A report in Vulture indicated that they agreed to an open relationship as they believed that sharing details of their separate lives would strengthen their bond.

Things took a strange turn when Palmer allegedly slept with her 20-year-old fan who asked to be referred to as Rachel. She later introduced her to Gaiman who eventually met in person. According to Rachel, she handed her over to Gaiman “like a toy.”

A report in Distractify stated that in 2014, Amanda and Neil were expecting their son and reportedly agreed to “close” their marriage.

Things escalated as Neil Gaiman started initiating sexual encounters, allegedly between 2014-2022, with multiple women that were later described as forced and not consensual.

They welcomed their son in 2015. After nearly 12 years of their marriage, Gaiman and Palmer announced their divorce in November 2022, citing a commitment to co-parent their kid.

According to WBUR, Palmer described their divorce as “painful” and “difficult”.

“It’s been a slow and painful divorce season up here in the woods,” Palmer said.

She further revealed,

“One of the most difficult things about this time in my life is not telling the story.”

It comes as a surprise for the fans and followers of Neil Gaiman who is known for his works such as Good Omens, American Gods, and The Sandman that eight women have accused him of sexual assault. Their harrowing accounts are detailed in a New York magazine article titled, There is no Safe Word.

According to USA Today, the women who have been allegedly abused by Gaiman were described in their 20s while he was in his 40s during the time of the alleged incidents. Allegedly, the youngest victim was 18 years old.