Actor Kevin Spacey described the sexual assault and harassment allegations that impacted his career as a "small kitchen fire" rather than a "raging forest fire" during a recent appearance on the “Club Random” podcast with Bill Maher.
Spacey's career faced significant challenges starting in 2017 after actor Anthony Rapp alleged that Spacey had made a sexual advance toward him when Rapp was a teenager. Other accusations followed, leading to Spacey's removal from the Netflix series “House of Cards” and his replacement in the film “All the Money in the World.”
In legal proceedings, Spacey was found not liable for battery in Rapp's civil case. A jury in London also acquitted him of nine criminal charges of sexual assault brought by four complainants.
"I never said there was no fire," Spacey told Maher. "It just wasn't a raging forest fire. It was a small kitchen fire that could have been put out with an extinguisher."
Spacey also admitted, "I hit on a lot of guys." He suggested that the repercussions for his actions might have been different if he were a figure in a different field, comparing it to a sports figure being "benched for seven games."
The conversation also touched on Spacey's decision to announce he was gay shortly after Rapp's allegations surfaced. Spacey described himself as having been "fiercely closeted" and expressed that he believed he was being discreet, though he acknowledged "everybody knew."
"I was fiercely closeted. I didn’t want anyone to know anything about me. And of course, I thought I was so clever that nobody knew, but of course, kind of everybody knew,” Spacey said. He indicated that a shift in public perception regarding LGBTQ+ individuals might have influenced how such announcements are received.
Spacey stated he feels "much more welcomed" now and believes his career is moving in a positive direction.