"She is bang on here" — Internet reacts as JK Rowling compares outrage to assault allegations against Neil Gaiman and Harvey Weinstein
Following new allegations against Neil Gaiman, author J.K. Rowling took to social media to express her views. She compared the outrage against him to that faced by Harvey Weinstein, the film producer who is currently behind bars for alleged s*xual assault following the #MeToo movement. Writing on X on January 13, 2025, JK Rowling wrote:
“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.”
Disclaimer: Mentions of alleged sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.
As soon as the Harry Potter author's thoughts on the matter went viral, several social media users started pouring in their opinions. Many sided with Rowling, with one user writing:
“Not keen on Rowling but she is bang on here.”
Others also shared similar views, agreeing with the writer.
“Absolutely agree, @jk_rowling. It's quite telling how selective the outrage can be in these situations. The consistency of the stories from different accusers is indeed striking,” wrote one X user.
“The story is similar because powerful men shave been doing this for years but those around them refuse to say anything. Silence has cost us all far more than we will ever know,” added one more.
“The things that go unchecked are horrific,” exclaimed another social media user on the post.
On the other hand, there were others who did not seem to agree with Rowling.
“Innocent until proven guilty, then when he is … no mercy should be spared. Using influence like that is just such a horrible thing to do because he is a celebrity. These people need some comeuppance!” wrote a netizen.
“So weird right? Are these the same people who said nothing about Epstein and Sean Combs?” added one more.
“I have heard women say in some of my book groups that they love his writing so much we should ignore/forgive the accusations. Insane!” stated another X user.
More details about allegations against Neil Gaiman explored as JK Rowling compares him to Harvey Weinstein
Neil Gaiman found himself in deep waters after Vulture published a cover story on the author on Monday, January 13, 2025. The article detailed accounts from eight women who came forward and made fresh claims about Neil assaulting them.
The report came a year after a few women made accusations against the writer in the Tortoise Media's podcast, Master. As per a BBC report dated January 14, 2024, the whole fiasco began in July 2024, when Tortoise Media reported allegations of assault by Gaiman, accompanied by a podcast series detailing claims from five women.
Thereafter, things became intense with Vulture publishing additional allegations involving eight women, four of whom had previously participated in the Tortoise podcast.
According to a Tortoise Media report dated July 3, 2024, a woman shared her encounter with Neil Gaiman on the Master podcast, claiming that she had been exploited as a nanny for the writer's child. She also alleged an incident where she was invited to use an outdoor bath. She claimed that Neil s*xually assaulted her at the time.
As per a BBC report, despite the allegations and the social media backlash, the author's legal team has denied all the allegations. They stated that he had consensual encounters with all the women who are now accusing him. However, Neil Gaiman has not spoken up on the matter yet.