“I think people now look at this and think maybe nine years has been enough,” the actor said.

Kevin Spacey feels ‘much more welcomed’ in Hollywood after outlasting sexual assault allegations

"I think people now look at this and think maybe nine years has been enough," the actor said.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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June 29, 2026 2:15 p.m. ET

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Kevin Spacey in Milan in June 2025. Credit:

Rosdiana Ciaravolo/Getty

- Kevin Spacey revealed he is starting to feel "much more welcomed" in Hollywood years after sexual assault allegations came to light.

- "I think that things are moving in the the direction that we we hope they're moving in," Spacey told Bill Maher on his podcast *Club Random*.

- The disgraced actor has been accused of sexual assault by over a dozen men.

Kevin Spacey is opening up about his relationship with Hollywood.

The *House of Cards** *actor admitted he feels "less in" show business "jail" than he once did while reflecting on the time that has passed since sexual misconduct allegations from over a dozen men began to surface amid the #MeToo movement in 2017.

"I know, as you said, you didn't really pay attention to the details and I know most people don't, but I think when people 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," Spacey said on the Monday episode of *Club Random With Bill Maher*.

Most recently, following a hail of accusations and court cases, Spacey reached a settlement with three sexual assault accusers in March before a civil trial in London planned for later this year. The alleged assaults occurred between 2000 and 2013.

Spacey at the Venice International Film Festival in August 2025.

Laurent KOFFEL/Gamma-Rapho via Getty

Spacey contrasted his situation to that of a professional athlete, saying he would have "been benched for seven games."

"I believe we're at a point now where people are now beginning to look at what actually happened. And I feel much more welcomed and I think that things are moving in the direction that we we hope they're moving in."

Spacey mentioned he didn't go out in public in 2018, and when he did he wore a mask because he "didn't want to be seen." He then underwent "enormous amounts of therapy" and backpacked through Europe for six months in 2019. "That was when I was able to without a hat, without glasses, without hiding in any way, just go out into the world," he admitted.

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Brian Cox says Kevin Spacey shouldn't be 'punished endlessly' by Hollywood

The disgraced actor was stopped many times while abroad "by people who were so generous and so happy to see me." Spacey said they asked him when he would return to work in Hollywood. "I know there's people online that that say nasty things, but I've not met one of them in real life."

In October 2017, sexual misconduct allegations surfaced involving the Oscar winner from actor Anthony Rapp dating back to 1986. Rapp was 14 at the time of the alleged incident, and Spacey was 26.

In response, Spacey posted on social media, "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." The actor also came out as gay in response to the allegations.

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Spacey was subsequently dropped from *All The Money In The World*, which was already filmed, and replaced by Christopher Plummer with reshoots of Spacey's scenes. Plummer wound up getting an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role.

In 2020, Rapp and another man sued Spacey for sexual assault in the 1980s. Spacey was found not liable for battery against Rapp by a jury in October 2022 after a three-week trial in New York.

Spacey at the amfAR Gala Cannes in May 2025.

Pascal Le Segretain/amfAR/Getty

There is some evidence of Spacey feeling "welcomed" back in the show business world, where celebrities have spoken out in his favor. In May 2024, Liam Neeson, Sharon Stone, F. Murray Abraham, and Stephen Fry voiced their support for him in statements shared with *The Telegraph*.

Months later, Brian Cox told *The Hollywood Reporter** *in December 2024 that Spacey had been punished enough. "Maybe he got too out of hand, but I don’t think he should be punished endlessly for it," he said.

"There should be a case of forgive and forget. Let’s move on. I think he should be given the opportunity to come back to work."

In 2025, Spacey was the guest of honor at the Better World Fund's gala dinner during the Cannes Film Festival, where he was recognized with the lifetime achievement award for "excellence in film and television."

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