Former TV Anchor Holds Press Conference Accusing Kevin Spacey of Sexually Assaulting Her Son
Former Channel 5 anchor Heather Unruh held a press conference on Wednesday to tell reporters that [...]
The First Allegations Against Spacey
The first accusations of sexual assault against Spacey were made by Star Trek actor Anthony Rapp and were published on Buzzfeed.
In 1986, Rapp claims Spacey invited him to his Manhattan apartment for a party, when Rapp was a teenager and Spacey was in his 20s. The two then spent most of the evening watching TV in a bedroom.
Rapp said he and Spacey were completely alone toward the end of the night.
"My memory was that I thought, Oh, everybody's gone. Well, yeah, I should probably go home," Rapp said.
The actor claims that Spacey then picked him up "like a groom picks up the bride over the threshold. But I don't, like, squirm away initially, because I'm like, 'What's going on?' And then he lays down on top of me."
"He was trying to seduce me," Rapp said.
After the incident, Rapp never confronted Spacey. However, he eventually spoke with a lawyer who advised him not to pursue legal action. Even though he took the attorney's advice, the scene frequently plays out in the Rent star's mind.
"The older I get, and the more I know, I feel very fortunate that something worse didn't happen," he said. "And at the same time, the older I get, the more I can't believe it. I could never imagine anyone else I know would do something like that to a 14-year-old boy."
Rapp was encouraged to come forward with his story more than 30 years later after allegations surfaced against Hollywood heavyweight Harvey Weinstein.
"Part of what allowed the Harvey situation to occur was that there was this witting and unwitting conspiracy of silence," Rapp said. "The only way these things can continue is if there's no attention being paid to it, if it's getting forgotten."
prevnextSpacey's Response to Rapp's Accusations
After Rapp's accusations were published, Spacey soon took to Twitter to pen a statement. He claimed to not remember the incident but still offered Rapp an apology.
"I have a lot of respect and admiration for Anthony Rapp as an actor. I'm beyond horrified to hear his story," Spacey wrote in a statement on Twitter Sunday. "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."
In the statement, Spacey used the opportunity to address rumors regarding his romantic life.
"This story has encouraged me to address other things about my life," he said. "I know that there are stories out there about me and that some have been fueled by the fact that I have been so protective of my privacy."
"As those closest to me know, in my life, I have had relationships with both men and women," Spacey continued. "I have loved and had romantic relationships 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."
— Kevin Spacey (@KevinSpacey) October 30, 2017prevnext
More Alleged Victims Come Forward
Documentary filmmaker Tony Montana claimed that Spacey groped him back in 2003.
Montana, then in his 30s, was hanging out at the Coronet Pub in Los Angeles when Spacey arrived with friends.
"I went up to order a drink and Kevin came up to me and put his arm around me," he told Radar. "He was telling me to come with him, to leave the bar. He put his hand on my crotch forcefully and grabbed my whole package."
Montana said that a drunken Spacey told him the lewd act "designates ownership."
The filmmaker said he pushed Spacey's hand back to move it away, then paid for his drink and left the bar area. Montana claims Spacey then followed him when he went to the restroom.
"I backed him out the door and I pushed him," Montana said. "One of his friends was in line and I said, 'It's time to take your boy home.'"
Montana said the incident haunted him for months.
"I had PTSD for six months after," he claims. "It was an emasculating thing for someone to do to me. Whenever I went to the bar I would see if he was there or have my back against the wall."
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