Kevin Spacey says he feels “much more welcomed” and believes “things are moving in the direction we hoped they were moving in” after his career was derailed by numerous allegations of sexual misconduct.
The 66-year-old actor appeared on the latest episode of Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, where he discussed the allegations made against him, the legal cases that followed, and the impact they had on his public standing.
“I never said there was no fire,” Spacey said of the allegations. “It just wasn’t a raging forest fire. It was a small kitchen fire that could have been put out with an extinguisher.”
“There are certain cases where part of something is true, but it’s been rethought, it’s been redesigned, or it’s been entirely made up,” he continued, “certainly in the case of Anthony Rapp, which is a case that we won in federal court in New York.”
In 2020, Rapp filed a $40 million civil suit against Spacey for sexual assault and battery, but a jury found Spacey not liable on all counts.
All told, Spacey has been accused by more than 15 individuals of sexual misconduct. However, as Spacey pointed out to Maher, “We’ve been found not guilty in every court we’ve gone into with a jury.”
Spacey said he believes public perception has begun to shift as people revisit the allegations and the outcomes of his legal cases.
“I do certainly now feel that when people look at things and actually start to hear the facts, understand what we’ve won in courts, I think people now look at this and think maybe nine years has been enough,” he said.
“I believe we’re at a point now where people are beginning to look at what actually happened, and I feel much more welcomed,” Spacey added. “I think that things are moving in the direction that we hope they’re moving in.”
