Sharon Stone Doubles Down On Controversial Kevin Spacey Comments
Sharon Stone is doubling down on her defense of Kevin Spacey despite virulent pushback.
The “Basic Instinct” star recently praised Spacey as “a genius” whose potential Hollywood comeback can’t come soon enough. Her comments drew substantial criticism as Spacey, now 64, has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than a dozen men since 2017.
Stone explained her reasoning in an interview Tuesday with The Hollywood Reporter.
“People are mad at me for that,” she told the outlet. “I said that after being in therapy for seven years, not being allowed to work, losing his home, losing everything, he should be allowed to come back. He’s reached out to everybody he’s offended and said he’s sorry.”
The numerous sexual abuse accusations involving Spacey warranted a reassessment of his reputation as an even-keeled professional, however. One of the many accusations against him concerned the alleged molestation of then-14-year-old Anthony Rapp in 1986.
“Kevin grabbed people by their genitals,” Stone, a mother of three, told the Reporter. “Many people. But nobody [has publicly said] he’s raped them or forced them into a sexual encounter. But there’s so much hatred for him because in this case it was man-on-man.”
Stone, who has long been candid about her own experiences with sexual harassment, said Tuesday that she’s the type of person “who wants to make sure you have water to drink” and will defend Spacey even if “not everybody thinks I’m a good person.”
“That’s why he’s not allowed to come back,” she told the outlet. “Because he offended men. But can I tell you how many men have grabbed my genitals in my lifetime? A lot more than Kevin Spacey has ... And none of them has ever apologized to me.”
Rapp sued Spacey for $40 million in 2020 and in court called the alleged sexual assault one of the “most traumatic” moments of his life. The former “House of Cards” star was found not liable by a New York jury in 2022 and was acquitted last year in London of nine sexual assault charges involving four actors.
Spacey faces another trial in the U.K. over a British man’s claims of sexual assault in 2008.
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.