Kevin Spacey Comes Out As Gay, Apologizes Following Anthony Rapp Sexual Assault Allegation

Kevin Spacey came out as gay over the weekend after harassment accusations came from his American Beauty co-star Anthony Rapp.

KEVIN SPACEY COMES OUT AMID ASSAULT ALLEGATION

The actor previously said that coming out was “a line I’ve never crossed and never will,” but he overturned that statement when he discussed his sexuality on Sunday. Rapp, now 46, accused Spacey of attempting to seduce him when he was 14 and Spacey was 26. Spacey claims he doesn’t remember, but would blame the behavior on being drunk.

Rapp told Buzzfeed that Spacey lifted him up, laid him down on his bed, and “was trying to get with me sexually” back in 1986. “He was trying to seduce me,” Rapp describes, saying he felt Spacey “pressing into me” and “tightening his arms.” He was eventually able to “squirm” away and leave the apartment. Rapp released his statement through his publicist. “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,” he said. “Everything I wanted to say about my experience is in [a 2001 interview on the topic], and I have no further comment about it at this time.”

Spacey took to Twitter to respond to the allegation. “I have a lot of respect and admiration for Anthony Rapp as an actor. I’m beyond horrified to hear his story,” Spacey responded in a tweet. “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.”

“This story has encouraged me to address other things about my life,” Spacey, 58, continued. “I know that there are stories out there about me and that some have been fueled by the fact that I have been so protective of my privacy. As those closest to me know, in my life I have had relationships with both men and women. I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man,” he continued. “I want to deal with this honestly and openly and that starts with examining my own behavior.”

Many were upset by Spacey’s handling of the situation. Dan Savage writes, “Nope to Kevin Spacey’s statement. Nope. There’s no amount of drunk or closeted that excuses or explains away assaulting a 14-year-old child.” Activist Ashlee Marie Preston said, “I’m not interested in Kevin Spacey being gay. I’m curious as to why we’re conflating sexuality w/ the molestation of a minor. Stay on topic.”

Spacey has hinted at his sexuality in the past, specifically at the 2017 Tony Awards. In the opening skit, Whoopi Goldberg literally walked out of a closet and Spacey asked, “Whoopi, how long have you been in that closet?”

“Well, Kevin, it depends who you ask,” Goldberg replied.

Then while dressed in drag as Sunset Boulevard‘s Norma Desmond, Spacey sang the lyrics, “I’m coming out,” before pausing.  “No, wait, no,” he said. Rumors about the star’s sexuality have been brewing in Hollywood for years, and he has responded on a few occasions. “I don’t live a lie. You have to understand that people who choose not to discuss their personal lives are not living a lie. That is a presumption that people jump to,” he said in 2010. “Look, at the end of the day, people have to respect people’s differences. I am different than some people would like me to be. I just don’t buy into that the personal can be political. I just think that’s horses–t. No one’s personal life is in the public interest. It’s gossip, bottom line. End of story.”

Spacey has won two Academy Awards, a Tony Awards, a Golden Globe, and 11 Emmys over his impressive decades-long career.