We Learn More About Kevin Spacey

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TempNot so shocking, more people are coming forward to complain about Kevin Spacey's sexual behavior. Crew members of "House of Cards" say he created a "toxic" work environment, particularly for young men. A production assistant accused him of assault, and seven others tell stories of aggressive touching, inappropriate comments, and other harassing behavior.

Spacey is experiencing more fallout from the news. In addition to Netflix's ending the show and the Emmy's cancelling a special award, Netflix announced it will not allow Spacey back on set. The company issued this statement: 

"Netflix was just made aware of one incident, five years ago, that we were informed was resolved swiftly. On Tuesday, in collaboration with MRC, we suspended production, knowing that Kevin Spacey wasn't scheduled to work until Wednesday. Netflix is not aware of any other incidents involving Kevin Spacey on-set. We continue to collaborate with MRC and other production partners to maintain a safe and respectful working environment. We will continue to work with MRC during this hiatus time to evaluate our path forward as it relates to the production, and have nothing further to share at this time."

His publicist and talent agency also ended their relationship.

Discussion:

  • Knowing more about the complaints now, do you think Spacey should have handled his initial apology to Anthony Rapp and coming out statement differently?
  • Assess Netflix's statement: who is the audience, and what are the communication objectives? What works well, and what could be improved?
  • What's your view of the publicist ending their relationship? What if the publicist helped Spacey with the initial statement? Does that change your view? Why or why not?