Celebrities and others were swift and blistering in their condemnation of actor Kevin Spacey’s Twitter apology to fellow actor Anthony Rapp early Monday.
Spacey, 58, issued the statement after a BuzzFeed News report alleged that the “House of Cards” star had sexually harassed Rapp when he was just 14. In his statement, Spacey did not deny the incident but said he could “not remember the encounter.”
“If I did behave then as [Rapp] describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior,” Spacey wrote.
The Oscar-winning actor then came out as gay, saying Rapp’s story had “encouraged me to address other things about my life.”
Spacey’s statement was met with fury online, with many accusing him of coming out as a “PR smokescreen.” Others lambasted Spacey for using drunkenness as an apparent excuse for his alleged behavior. Here’s a sampling of the online censure:
In his account to BuzzFeed, Rapp said he was at a party in 1986 when Spacey, then 26, picked him up, “placed him on his bed and climbed on top of him, making a sexual advance.”
Rapp, who did not file a police report at the time, said he chose to share his story publicly now in the hopes of making a difference.
“I came forward with my story, standing on the shoulders of the many courageous women and men who have been speaking out to shine a light and hopefully make a difference, as they have done for me,” the “Rent” and “Star Trek: Discovery” actor wrote on Twitter.