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Kevin Spacey Responds To Report He Sexually Harassed Then-14-Year-Old Anthony Rapp

The actor's response to the allegations was his first public declaration that he is gay.
Steve Mack via Getty Images
Actor Anthony Rapp accused Kevin Spacey of making a sexual advance towards him in 1986 when Rapp was 14.
Steve Mack via Getty Images

Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey has addressed a report that he once sexually harassed actor Anthony Rapp.

Rapp, who is currently starring in the TV series "Star Trek: Discovery" and is best known for work in the play and movie "Rent," told BuzzFeed News that Spacey invited him to a party at his apartment in 1986. Rapp was 14 years old at the time.

Spacey's statement, made on Twitter early Monday, included his first public declaration that he is gay. He did not deny that the incident took place, citing the passage of time and being drunk on the occasion, but apologized to Rapp for "what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior."

"I am sorry for the feelings he describes having carried with him all these years," Spacey wrote.

In his account, Rapp said he was the only person who was underage at the party, and that at the end of the night, then-26-year-old Spacey "picked Rapp up, placed him on his bed and climbed on top of him, making a sexual advance."

Although Rapp did not report the incident to authorities, BuzzFeed stated that he told several friends and a former boyfriend about the encounter at various times beginning in 1990.

On Twitter early Monday, Rapp said he finally went public about the incident by "standing on the shoulders of the many courageous women and men who have been speaking out" about sexual misconduct in the media industry in recent weeks.

Similar allegations have upended Hollywood in recent weeks, beginning with widespread claims of abuse against film producer Harvey Weinstein, Amazon Studios head Roy Price and director James Toback.

Spacey used his statement to address long-standing rumors about his sexuality, saying he has had relationships with both men and women throughout his life, but he now lives as a gay man.

"As those closet to me know, in my life I have had relationships with both men and women," Spacey stated. "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."

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