Kevin Spacey believes his return to the film industry is now well underway. The 66-year-old actor recently appeared on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, where he talked about the past nine years of his life and what he expects going forward, reports the Daily Mail.
It has been a long road for the two-time Oscar winner. His career took a major hit starting in 2017, when he was accused of sexual assault and harassment by several people. He has denied these claims throughout the years.
Looking back at his time away from the spotlight, Spacey described it as a nine-year Hollywood jail sentence. He feels that things are now changing, telling Maher, “I feel much more welcomed, and I think that things are moving in the direction that we hoped they were moving in.”
Spacey points to court outcomes as a turning point
During the conversation, Spacey compared his time away from acting to being benched in sports. He said, “If I had been a sports figure I would have been benched for seven games. If you’re hitting home runs, they want you on the field.”
He said he feels relieved that people are starting to pay attention to how his legal cases turned out. According to Spacey, as the facts become clearer and people learn what he won in court, more people are starting to feel that nine years away has been enough.
His legal battles have been long and involved several cases. In 2023, Spacey was found not guilty of nine sex offenses involving four men during a criminal trial in London. In 2022, a jury in New York City also ruled that Anthony Rapp had not proven his claim that Spacey made an unwanted sexual advance toward him in 1986. Spacey has spoken openly about his frustration with these claims, and has even accused Rapp of making up the story.
More recently, in March 2026, Spacey reached a settlement with three men who had accused him of abuse between 2000 and 2015. The terms of the settlement have not been made public, but the agreement led to a pause in proceedings at the London High Court that had been set to start in October.
Before the settlement, Spacey had been facing a fresh civil trial in London involving these same allegations. This settlement came after his 2023 acquittal, and after the Old Vic theatre separately settled a claim with Ruari Cannon, who had alleged an assault in 2013.
When Maher brought up the idea that there is often “too much smoke to be no fire,” Spacey gave his own response to questions about his past behavior. He admitted that he “hit on a lot of guys,” but said there was “no fire, it just wasn’t a raging forest fire. It was a small kitchen fire that could have been put out with an extinguisher.”
He also talked about his personal life, saying he was “fiercely closeted” for a long time. He said the lack of understanding from others made him feel like he was being attacked. Looking ahead, Spacey is focused on his work and his personal life.
He said he is currently single but is “in the market” for a partner. His comments on the podcast come not long after he addressed reports about his current financial situation. After years of public legal battles and ups and downs in his career, he appears ready to move forward and return to acting.
Published: Jun 30, 2026 10:15 am