Tomi Adeyemi’s scheduled appearance at New York Comic Con has been removed from the event roster, with no advance warning given to attendees or organizers.
The panel, which was intended to promote Adeyemi’s upcoming book The Siren, was originally slated for Saturday, Oct. 10 at 1:30 p.m. ET at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York. According to a source familiar with the matter, the author cancelled the event last month, and NYCC producer ReedPop quietly took it off the schedule at that time, Variety reported.
No statement was issued by Adeyemi or the convention organizer ahead of the cancellation, leaving fans surprised by the sudden absence. Representatives for the author, her agency CAA, and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group did not immediately return requests for comment on Saturday.
The quiet withdrawal comes amid ongoing controversy surrounding the theatrical adaptation of Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone. Earlier this year, the author publicly criticized the film project in a TikTok video, describing the experience as devastating to her mental health. She stated that the process left her “hyperventilating and sobbing” and expressed that she would never again adapt one of her novels for the screen.
Adeyemi also alleged that she continues to face behind-the-scenes antagonism and suffered panic attacks and severe physical symptoms after filming concluded. While she has not detailed specific incidents, a previously posted but now-deleted TikTok video appeared to show a group chat exchange with actress Amandla Stenberg, in which Adeyemi reportedly instructed the star not to use her name in interviews or contact her directly. Stenberg’s casting as a mixed-race actress in a role described in the books as having “dark copper skin” had already drawn public scrutiny.
Children of Blood and Bone, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and featuring an ensemble cast including Stenberg, Thuso Mbedu, Damson Idris, Cynthia Erivo, and Viola Davis, is set to be released in theaters on Jan. 15, 2027.
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