HOLLYWOOD—Kevin Spacey publicly came out as gay man on Twitter on Sunday, October 29, amid allegations that he made sexual advances on a minor nearly 30 years ago.
Actor Anthony Rapp, who is known for his Broadway performance in the play “Rent” and is currently starring in the new CBS All Access series “Star Trek: Discovery,” announced that Kevin Spacey had made sexual advances on him as a teenager. Rapp, now 46, told Buzzfeed News that when he was only 14 at the time of the incident, where he attended a house party at Spacey’s Manhattan apartment.
He was the only non-adult at the party and ended up watching TV in the bedroom. When the party was over, Rapp claims, Spacey walked into the bedroom and “picked me up like a groom picks up the bride over the threshold.” Rapp indicated that Spacey laid on top of him and squeezed him tight. Rapp managed to squirm out of the lock and go to the bathroom. He asked to leave and Spacey escorted him out. Rapp indicated that Spacey was drunk at the time o the incident.
Rapp tweeted: “I came forward with my story, standing on the shoulders of the many courageous women and men who have been speaking out to shine a light and hopefully make a difference, as they have done for me.”
In a responding tweet posted on Sunday, October 29 at 9 p.m., Kevin Spacey addressed the accusation:
“I’m beyond horrified to hear this story. I honestly do not remember the encounter, it would have been over 30 years ago. But if I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior, and I am sorry for the feelings he describes having carried with him all these years.”
Spacey continued the tweet, writing that the story had encouraged him to address other matters in his life.
“I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life and I choose now to live as a gay man. I want to deal with this honestly and openly and that starts with examining my own behavior,” Spacey tweeted.
Spacey was met with harsh criticism for his timing, with some saying that he had used his coming out announcement as a shield or deflection to detract from the sexual harassment case. The actor is the winner of 2 Academy Awards, winning for Best Supporting Actor for his role in “The Usual Suspects” and Best Actor for his performance in “American Beauty.”
Spacey, 58, currently stars in the Netflix original “House of Cards.” The network announced on Monday, October 30, that the current sixth season will be the last for the series. Netflix and Media Rights Capital released a joint statement on Monday reading:
“Media Rights Capital and Netflix are deeply troubled by last night’s news concerning Kevin Spacey. In response to last night’s revelations, executives from both of our companies arrived in Baltimore this afternoon to meet with our cast and crew to ensure that they continue to feel safe and supported. As previously scheduled, Kevin Spacey is not working on set at this time.”
Written By George Morris and Casey Jacobs
