Kevin Spacey is speaking out about his return to Hollywood following years of sexual assault allegations and legal battles that derailed his career. The 66-year-old actor, known for his Oscar-winning roles in “American Beauty” and “The Usual Suspects,” recently sat down with comedian Bill Maher on the “Club Random” podcast to discuss his future in the entertainment industry.
The conversation marked the first time Spacey has openly addressed the public perception of his misconduct allegations since being acquitted in criminal trials. He told Maher that he finally feels “much more welcomed” by Hollywood after spending nearly a decade on the sidelines.
“I feel less in (show business) jail than I did,” Spacey said during the podcast episode released on June 28, 2026. “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.”
His comments come after a series of legal victories and settlements that have begun to shift how the industry views his potential return to major projects.
Legal Victories and Settlements That Changed Everything
Spacey’s career took a major hit in 2017 when actor Anthony Rapp accused him of making an unwanted sexual advance toward him at a party in 1986. Rapp was 14 at the time, while Spacey was 27.
The allegation triggered a wave of accusations from more than 15 other people, many of whom had worked with Spacey on the Netflix series “House of Cards.” The fallout was immediate and severe. Netflix fired Spacey from the show, and director Ridley Scott replaced him with Christopher Plummer in the film “All the Money in the World.”
But Spacey fought back in court and secured key legal wins. In October 2022, a federal jury in New York found him not liable in Rapp’s $40 million civil lawsuit. Then in July 2023, a London jury acquitted Spacey of nine sexual offense charges brought by four men, with the alleged incidents dating between 2001 and 2013.
More recently, in March 2026, Spacey reached an out-of-court settlement with three men who had filed civil lawsuits against him in London’s High Court. The men had accused Spacey of sexual assault between 2000 and 2013. The settlement meant Spacey avoided a civil trial that was scheduled for October 2026.
“We’ve been found ‘not guilty’ in every court we’ve gone into with a jury,” Spacey told Maher.
Kevin Spacey Admits He ‘Hit on a Lot of Guys’
During the podcast interview, Maher pressed Spacey about the number of allegations against him, telling the actor “there’s too much smoke to be no fire.”
Spacey responded honestly about his past behavior.
“I never said there was no fire,” Spacey admitted. “It just wasn’t a raging forest fire. It was a small kitchen fire that could have been put out with an extinguisher.”
The actor acknowledged that he crossed boundaries in his personal life. “I hit on a lot of guys,” he said. But he maintained that many of the more serious allegations against him were exaggerated or entirely false.
“There are certain cases where part of something is true, but it’s been rethought, it’s been redesigned, or it’s been entirely made up, certainly in the case of Anthony Rapp, which is a case that we won in federal court in New York,” Spacey said.
Maher acknowledged that Spacey “should have gotten some punishment” but also said the actor had “paid a lot” for his offenses. The comedian called a decade of exile a “serious sentence.”
‘If You’re Hitting Home Runs, They Want You on the Field’
Spacey used a sports analogy to describe his Hollywood exile and potential return. He compared his situation to an athlete facing a temporary suspension.
“If I had been a sports figure, I would have been benched for seven games,” Spacey said. “A sports person is accused of something, and they’re benched for seven days, seven games and then they’re back on the field.”
He added: “If you’re hitting home runs, they want you on the field.”
The actor also addressed how being closeted for much of his career affected him. Spacey only came out as gay in 2017 following Rapp’s initial accusation, a move that many critics called poorly timed.
“I was fiercely closeted. I didn’t want anyone to know anything about me,” Spacey said. “I thought I was so clever that nobody knew, but of course kind of everybody knew.”
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What’s Next for Kevin Spacey
Despite the controversy, Spacey continues to land acting roles. He has appeared in European productions and independent films including “Peter Five Eight,” “The Awakening,” and the Italian comedy series “Minimarket.”
In May 2026, Deadline announced that Spacey signed on to lead a World War II drama titled “Melodies in the Forest.” He will play Petr Novotni, an 85-year-old conductor whose wartime past comes back to haunt him. Filming is scheduled to begin in October 2026 across Italy and the Czech Republic.
Spacey also starred in the Italian thriller “The Contract,” where he plays a character known as “The Devil.” The film premiered at the Cairo Film Festival and is set for a theatrical release in early 2026.
Some industry figures have publicly supported Spacey’s return. Brian Cox told The Hollywood Reporter in December 2024 that Spacey “should be given the opportunity to come back to work.” Director Uwe Boll also expressed interest in casting Spacey, calling him “one of the best actors working today.”
However, major studios and distributors remain hesitant to finance projects featuring Spacey. His path back to Hollywood continues to face obstacles, but Spacey believes public perception is gradually changing.
“I feel much more welcomed, and I think that things are moving in the direction that we hoped they would be moving in,” Spacey said.
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