Here is the thing: readers, viewers, and some fellow authors didn't know, including female authors and creators that considered him a friend. The ones that did were those that he hit on, and had reasons to not say anything. It could be a fear of retaliation or blackballing, but they felt there would be no benefit.

I understand why people in children's books didn't say anything because the risk of being blackballed is serious. But that is precisely why readers like me didn't know; because no one told us. I was a kid in the 2000s when Coraline came out, and I didn't understand how creative industries silence these allegations.

The shock is a betrayal because we don't expect creators to be perfect, but we expect a social contract to be honored.