Kevin Spacey Comes Out As Gay Amid Sexual Harassment Claims

Kevin Spacey has confirmed that he is gay after actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of making sexual advances towards him when he was just 14 years old.

"I have a lot of respect and admiration for Anthony Rapp as an actor. I'm beyond horrified to hear his story," Spacey said in a statement posted to Twitter on Sunday, October 29, 2017. "I honestly do not remember the encounter, it would have been over 30 years ago. But if I did behave 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."

Rapp's story, Spacey continued, "has encouraged me to address other things about my life. I know that there are other 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 relationships 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's statement came hours after BuzzFeed published an interview with Rapp, during which Rapp recalled a story from 1986 in which Spacey, then 26, allegedly made advances towards him after a party at Spacey's apartment had ended. At the time, Rapp said he had trailed off to the bedroom to watch TV because he was bored and did not know anyone.

"My memory was that I thought, 'Oh, everybody's gone. Well, yeah, I should probably go home,'" Rapp said. Then, he said, he noticed that Spacey "sort of stood in the doorway, kind of swaying." "My impression when he came in the room was that he was drunk ... He picked me up like a groom picks up the bride over the threshold," Rapp continued. "But I don't, like, squirm away initially, because I'm like, 'What's going on?' And then he lays down on top of me." 

"He was trying to seduce me," Rapp continued. "I don't know if I would have used that language. But I was aware that he was trying to get with me sexually."

Rumors of Spacey's sexuality have plagued the Oscar-winning actor's career for decades. Rapp said he was inspired to speak out now after so many women came forward to share their stories about disgraced studio mogul Harvey Weinstein.