Meredith Yayanos Lied About Neil Gaiman

And she covered up for Warren Ellis because she loved him.

I was one of the women who came forward to accuse Warren Ellis of being an abuser.

During that time, I was part of an activist group called SoManyofUs, primarily led by a woman named Meredith Yayanos. Meredith had been in a long-term, secret affair with Warren Ellis, even though she suspected he was taking advantage of other young women. I possess screenshots that substantiate this claim.

She admitted that she couldn’t bring herself to speak out against him because of her feelings for him.

Fast forward to 2020. Along with several other women, including me, she publicly spoke out against Warren Ellis.

Around this time, since artist Colleen Doran had worked with both Warren Ellis and Neil Gaiman, Yayanos reached out to Doran via a private Twitter message. She alleged, based on information from a third party, that Neil Gaiman had been “messing around” with teenagers early in his career when he was still a journalist.

Yayanos had no direct evidence or personal experience to support these claims and repeatedly used the word “allegedly” when writing of them. In her message, she also wrote that she didn’t believe Neil Gaiman was “evil or narcissistic” but considered him a “doofus rockstar asshole,” likening him to David Bowie. At the same time, she mentioned feeling and observing his kindness when they met. Her exact words: “I saw and felt his kindness.” Again, I have screenshots that verify this exchange.

Earlier this year, Colleen Doran shared this interaction on her Patreon page but later removed it due to concerns about privacy. However, I retained copies of the exchange and also received additional screenshots from other conversations.

In her messages to Doran, Yayanos asked her to speak with Neil regarding the allegations. Even though Doran had never met or spoken with Yayanos before, she took the claims seriously and agreed to reach out to Neil. He denied any inappropriate behavior. In her efforts to verify the allegations further, Doran contacted other creators and journalists, but found no one who substantiated them. According to Doran, not a single person had anything negative to say about Neil Gaiman. After informing Yayanos that she had spoken with Neil and found nothing improper, the situation seemed closed. The entire exchange between Doran and Yayanos was brief, lasting only a few minutes.

Following this closure, Yayanos conveyed in a final message that she was stepping away from activism to focus on her art. Both women then moved on with their respective lives, and Doran received no further communication.

However, over time, Yayanos altered her narrative. She started spreading rumors that Colleen Doran had been silenced through a lucrative contract with Neil Gaiman. Records clearly show this claim to be false, as Doran had signed her contract with Neil in 2019—a full year before Meredith approached her regarding these supposed accusations.

Yayanos also attempted to have Doran deplatformed from Patreon by falsely accusing her of harassment and abuse.

Further compounding the issue, Yayanos claimed she had told Doran that Neil Gaiman was a dangerous predator and sadist. This was untrue. Her original messages described Neil as having acted like a typical “rockstar” when he was younger but now framed him as a respected cultural figure akin to Bowie. Nonetheless, Yayanos initiated a harassment campaign against Doran and others connected to Neil Gaiman or Warren Ellis. These creators included Mike Mignola, Ben Templesmith, Jill Thompson, Kelly Jones, and David Mack. What started as activism devolved into baseless character assassination and online abuse.

Yayanos also fabricated claims about having been friends with Colleen Doran prior to these events, alleging she felt betrayed when Doran didn’t support her accusations. In reality, the two had no personal relationship; they had never met or even spoken beyond brief social media interactions. While Meredith attempted to get Doran to respond to (her sending her) email and phone number during their 2020 exchange, Doran declined to engage beyond the initial conversation.

Last year, Meredith leveraged the Gaiman situation to raise her online profile, presenting herself as an “expert” on the related controversies. She made numerous claims about her close connections to Tori Amos, David Mack, Amanda Palmer, Rantz Hoseley, and others—claims that appear exaggerated or outright false. Regarding Tori Amos and Colleen Doran in particular, she had no real-world associations. As for Neil Gaiman, her actual contact with him was limited to a couple of brief encounters many years ago. Despite labeling him as a former randy ”rockstar,” Meredith simultaneously sent him glowing letters praising his work and kindness while seeking favors.

If Meredith genuinely believed Neil Gaiman was harmful, why did she continue expressing admiration for his character and attempting to gain his goodwill?

The only tangible connection Meredith has to Neil Gaiman stems from an incident two decades ago when she briefly worked in Amanda Palmer’s band. She has publicly claimed that Palmer failed to pay her fairly and did not protect her when she was preyed upon by someone in Palmer’s entourage.

Meredith Yayanos’s understanding of Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer largely stemmed from her association with writer Laurie Penny, who had been her roommate. (A third party informs me Laurie was not Yayanos’s roommate, but was close friends with her roommate. However, I have a strong memory of Laurie telling me they were roommates). When Doran sought character insights regarding Neil, she reached out to Penny, having been introduced to her via Molly Crabapple. Over the past two decades, as confirmed in multiple prior interviews with both Gaiman and Doran, Doran has maintained minimal direct communication with Gaiman outside of their professional association, and has limited knowledge about his personal life.

Reflecting on Yayanos’s actions regarding this issue, I am ashamed of my own behavior and have been tortured by doubts about how I handled things regarding Warren Ellis.

Within the SoManyofUs group, Yayanos displayed controlling and emotionally abusive behavior toward several members, myself included. I was subjected to bullying, belittling, and gaslighting. She repeatedly insisted that I claim I had been raped when that was not the case.

If anyone has mastered the art of manipulation, it is Yayanos.

One of my greatest regrets in life is having become involved with that group.

Yayanos, who previously admitted to staying silent about Warren Ellis’s behavior, has since targeted others for similar actions she claimed to condemn. Yet, back then, she expressed no belief that Gaiman posed any danger to anyone.

I’m sharing this because I want to bring attention to the unhealthy environment of rumor-mongering and misinformation surrounding these matters. I deeply regret my own part in all of it. I wish I had prioritized professional help for myself and avoided engaging with these individuals altogether.

The attention-seeking tendencies within this circle, particularly demonstrated by Yayanos, have caused me to question the validity of my own experiences.

Whatever Neil Gaiman may or may not have done, Meredith Yayanos is not a trustworthy reference in this matter. Her actions are driven by a desire for power and relevance. I plan to share screenshots of relevant exchanges but want to ensure I proceed responsibly before doing so.

Some months ago, I began discussing this on social media and my Substack blog. Following my posts, Yayanos deleted her Twitter and Bluesky accounts. However, I was banned from Tumblr due to the actions of her Flying Monkey campaign. She then reached out asking to speak privately, but knowing her patterns of manipulation, I refused any communication.

After publishing my account on Substack and Tumblr, several others contacted me to share similar accounts of being mistreated by Yayanos.

I am making no direct claims regarding Neil Gaiman’s actions or character. My intent here is to call attention to a manipulative figure who seems intent on steering the narrative toward herself under the guise of activism. The underlying dynamics appear riddled with opportunistic individuals chasing their moment in the spotlight—perhaps even hoping for a feature in some glittering Netflix documentary.

My hope is that Meredith Yayanos faces requisite consequences for her behavior.

Perhaps her wealthy family will pay her legal bills.