Is Neil Gaiman a Scientologist? His Scientology connections, explored

The Sandman graphic novelist was accused by at least eight women of sexual assault on multiple occasions, with some instances dating back to 2007. 

While rumblings of these allegations first sprang up in July of last year as part of a six-part podcast titled Master, the recent article marks the first time the accs were referenced by name, and the first time a publication has explored the full extent of the allegations. The negative headlines surrounding Gaiman have now renewed interest in the author’s life, specifically his connection to the Church of Scientology. 

Neil Gaiman’s family has close ties to Scientology. 

While Neil Gaiman has consistently distanced himself from the controversial religion — which names fellow high-profile names like Tom Cruise and John Travolta as devotees — rumors have nonetheless persisted that the author is connected to Scientology. Gaiman’s family connection to the church is at the source of that speculation, since his parents studied Dianetics — a pseudoscience invented by Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard — at the Scientology center in West Sussex. 

Gaiman was five at the time of his parents’ involvement in those studies, and his two younger sisters are still active in the Scientology community to this day, according to The New Yorker. One sister reportedly works for the church in Los Angeles, while the other, Lizzy Calcioli, has mentioned her family’s connection to the religion in the past. “Most of our social activities were involved with Scientology,” Lizzy said. “It would get very confusing when people would ask about my religion as a kid. I’d say, ‘I’m a Jewish Scientologist.’”

The Vulture article details that Gaiman was used by his father as a way to promote Scientology, including a 1968 interview with the BBC when he was just eight years old. Gaiman was asked if Scientology made him “a better boy”, to which he replied: Not exactly that, but when you make a release, you feel absolutely great.”

It goes on to recount a horrific incident where the young Gaiman was held underwater in a cold bathtub and his “father drowned him to the point where Neil was screaming for air.” As a teenager, Gaiman apparently conducted “auditing” sessions, apparently being considered something of a Scientology prodigy. Gaiman’s direct involvement with the church ended after Hubbard’s death and the rise of current leader David Miscavige, who labeled Gaiman’s father a “suppressive person”, accused him of sexual misconduct, and sent him to a rehabilitation camp. These events took place at around the same time Gaiman began his writing career.

Speculation around Gaiman’s involvement in the church is only heightened by his ex-wife, Mary McGrath, whom he met while living in West Sussex. McGrath was studying Scientology in East Grinstead and living in a house owned by his father. The pair had a child, Mike, in 1983, and married two years later. Despite his family’s involvement in the church — his father went on to work in Scientology’s public relations wing and rose high in the organization — Gaiman himself has long avoided questions about his connection to the religion. 

Neil Gaiman has distanced himself from Scientology.

He has said that he does not identify as a Scientologist, but feels some solidarity with the church due to his family and upbringing. In 2013, Gaiman described long-running rumors that he and his second wife, Amanda Palmer, “are both secret Scientologists” as “bonkers.” He broached the topic in 2022 during an interview on actor Marc Maron’s podcast, WTF. 

When asked what his “parents’ thing was,” the author again confirmed their involvement in Scientology. “My parents’ thing was mostly Scientology when I was growing up, that was their thing,” Gaiman said. “They were the first wave [of British Scientology] so that was their thing.” He went on to say that his parents practiced the teachings alongside their Judaism and that they treated the organization as a self-help pursuit.

As per the Vulture article, Gaiman appears to have been traumatized by his childhood:

After they’d been together for a few years, Palmer began asking Gaiman to tell her more about his childhood in Scientology. But he seemed unable to string more than a few sentences together. When she encouraged him to continue, he would curl up on the bed into a fetal position and cry.”

If we take the article at its word, then the trauma he experienced as a child transformed him into a truly despicable human being. Here’s hoping his victims receive the justice they deserve.