Do we like Kevin Spacey?
Our score: 4 out of 10. Nothing harmful toward any group turned up, but a contract finding over his conduct, a string of accusations he denies and a 2026 settlement keep him short of a clear yes.
Spacey is the American actor who climbed from the stage to Hollywood stardom, and who ran London's Old Vic theatre. That Old Vic era is where the allegations in his 2023 criminal trial were set, covering 2004 to 2013. His fall from the top is the story everyone knows; the legal fine print is messier than the headlines.
The courts have mostly gone his way. In 2022 a Manhattan court found him not liable in Anthony Rapp's civil suit, where Rapp had sought $40 million. In July 2023 a London jury acquitted him by majority on nine charges brought by four men, and he said he was humbled by the result.
The House of Cards chapter is the other side of the ledger. Arbitrators found he breached the show's professional-behaviour requirements through “engaging certain conduct in connection with several crew members”, and ordered him and his companies to pay studio MRC more than $30 million. His lawyers argued his actions weren't a substantial factor in the show's losses.
The recent chapter is the London civil case. Three men alleged he sexually assaulted them between 2000 and 2013; one claimant alleged he was assaulted about 12 times between 2000 and 2005. Spacey denies all of it, and in March 2026 the cases were frozen after an out-of-court settlement. The Old Vic separately settled with another man, saying it was agreed without any admission of liability.
His own responses are a mixed bag. Ahead of a 2024 Channel 4 documentary featuring men alleging unwanted sexual behaviour, he said he takes full responsibility for his past behaviour, but denied anything illegal. When actor Guy Pearce said Spacey had targeted him on a film set, Spacey replied “You are not a victim”, a hard line that a lot of people will find hard to cop.
The honest gap here is the good stuff. We couldn't verify charity work or kind acts to set against all this, so we're not padding it. He told the Telegraph in late 2025 that he's always felt the public was on his side, and a comeback is plainly in his sights. The court record helps him, the settlement and the accusations don't, and that's why the nice test stays a close call.