Kevin Spacey speaks out against upcoming documentary covering abuse claims: "I won't remain quiet when under attack"
Kevin Spacey wrote on his X page on Thursday that for the past week, he's been asking Channel 4 to give him more than just one week to respond to accusations made against him that occurred 48 years ago and provide sufficient details for him to investigate the situation.
"Channel 4 has refused, arguing that they think a week is a 'fair opportunity' for me to refute any allegations made against me," he wrote.
Spacey expressed his unwillingness to "sit back and be attacked by a dying network's one-sided 'documentary' about me in their desperate attempt for ratings."
He continued, writing that when he's been given the time and a platform to defend himself, the allegations have failed under scrutiny and he's been cleared. Spacey urged his followers to visit his X page this weekend to see his response after the documentary airs.
The docuseries, "Spacey Unmasked," is a two-part show commissioned by Channel 4 and streaming on Max in the US, covering Spacey's career and subsequent downfall due to allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior. (Max and CNN are both owned by Warner Bros. Discovery).
CNN reached out to Channel 4, Max, and a representative for Spacey for comment.
Last year, Spacey was acquitted of seven sexual assault charges and two other serious sexual offense charges from a four-week trial in London's Southwark Crown Court. The allegations spanned from 2004 to 2013 when Spacey worked as artistic director at the Old Vic theater in London. He had pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
In 2022, a New York jury determined Spacey was not liable for battery in a trial involving actor Anthony Rapp, who claimed Spacey picked him up and lay on top of him after a party in 1986.
Spacey also faced criminal charges of indecent assault and battery for an incident in July 2016, where he was accused of groping a young person at a Nantucket bar. He entered a not-guilty plea at the time and in 2019, Massachusetts prosecutors dropped the case after the man who accused him of assault refused to testify on the stand.
Spacey has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in "The Usual Suspects" (1995) and "American Beauty" (1999). He has resumed acting since 2017 after parting ways with "House of Cards," the Netflix series in which he starred for five seasons, following allegations of misconduct both on and off-set.
"Spacey Unmasked" will first air on Channel 4 in the UK on May 6 and 7.
Catherine Nicholls, Christian Edwards, Jean Casarez, and Eric Levenson from CNN contributed to this report.
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Despite the upcoming documentary titled "Spacey Unmasked", which will cover Kevin Spacey's career and allegations of inappropriate behavior, Spacey expressed his discontent with Channel 4's handling of his response to the claims. He mentioned, "I refuse to be a target of this dying network's one-sided 'entertainment' piece aimed at boosting ratings."
Following his acquittal in several sexual assault trials, Spacey has returned to acting and won praise for his work. However, he remains vocal about the need for a fair platform to address the allegations against him, emphasizing, "When given the opportunity, my allegations have proven unfounded in the past."
Source: edition.cnn.com
