Kevin Spacey, the acclaimed actor known for his role as Francis Underwood in the Netflix series House of Cards, recently testified in court regarding his controversial firing from the show. And so he quite rightly asserts that the ruling is based on untruthful premises. This comes on the heels of a wave of sexual misconduct allegations that have hounded him since 2017.
In 2021, a jury sided with Spacey in finding him not liable for Rapp’s allegations. Rapp alleged Spacey of making an unwanted sexual advance when he was just 14 years old. The jury’s conclusions were a serious blow to Spacey’s already tarnished career. Due to this, he was fired from House of Cards in November 2017. In the case, MRC, the production company, sued Spacey for violating his contract. They won a $31 million ruling in 2020 after discovering that there were repeated violations of their sexual harassment policy.
Spacey’s legal troubles didn’t stop there, as he has been accused by many people. One plaintiff, who remained anonymous, alleged that Spacey assaulted him on 12 separate occasions, spanning 2000 to 2005. In all these serious allegations, Spacey has always denied any wrongdoing.
In his recent court testimony, Spacey lamented the ways he has been depicted in the media and public discussion. He stated, “comments attributed to me that I never said” and emphasized that the circumstances surrounding his dismissal were misrepresented.
Yet the legal battle surrounding Spacey is only beginning. Three civil claims against him are set to start at London’s High Court in October 2026. While he continues to deal with serious legal hurdles, Spacey makes efforts to remain engaged within the public sphere. He made an unlikely but powerful presence outside the London court in 2023 and came to the Cannes Film Festival in 2025.
In his court testimony, psychiatrist Michael Genovese noted that Spacey was “unable to fulfill his duties on the set of House of Cards in 2017” due to a disease. This seeming concession could prove to be a pivotal statement in Spacey’s defense. First, he wants to change the story around why he was kicked off the show.
Spacey had been fired from House of Cards after the fifth season and before the sixth. This decision made for a stunning reversal for a franchise that had been consistently showered with praise. For anyone who watched House of Cards, you might remember that Francis Underwood was the main character. His absence definitely left a gap in the storyline.
