Kevin Spacey Now Owes House Of Cards Production Company $31 Million Due To Breach Of Contract
Looks like Spacey is losing "All The Money In The World" for a second time. In today's issue of Bad People Getting Exactly What They Deserve™ an arbitrator has officially ordered that Kevin Spacey and his companies pay nearly $31 million to MRC, the production company who made "House of Cards," a show that tremendously improved once he was kicked off.
In a surprise to absolutely no one, the money is owed due to Spacey violating the company's sexual harassment policy. In addition to the past allegations against him, MRC presented evidence that Spacey had continued a pattern of sexual harassment while filming "House of Cards." Per CNN, one production assistant described a "toxic" environment created by Spacey's "predatory behavior," while another crew member described some of the unwanted physical advances he was subjected to by Spacey:
"He would put his hands on me in weird ways. He would come in and massage my shoulders from behind or put his hands around me or touch my stomach sometimes in weird ways that in normal everyday conversation would not be appropriate."
Spacey was fired from "House of Cards" in 2017 after more than a dozen people exposed his pattern of predatory sexual behavior, following the high-profile bravery of actor Anthony Rapp ("Rent," "Star Trek: Discovery") came forward and alleged that Spacey had sexually assaulted him when Rapp was just 14 years old. Rapp has since filed a lawsuit against Spacey for assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Variety reports that on November 22, 2021, MRC filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court to confirm the arbitration award, after the award was upheld in a confidential appeal. Now, Kevin Spacey, M. Profitt Productions, and Trigger Street Productions have been ordered to pay $29.5 million in damages plus $1.2 million in attorneys' fees and $235,000 in costs. There is absolutely no amount of monetary compensation that can undo the harm Spacey caused to so many people, but knowing his creepy ass is going to pay handsomely for his behavior is just the right dose of schadenfreude for all of us to enjoy this Monday.
Sucks to Be You, Spacey
Granted, $31 million is a drop in the bucket for someone with an estimated net worth of $100 million, but considering Spacey has put in a grand total of zero effort into repairing the harm he's caused or in holding himself even remotely accountable for his actions, there's a hope that other production companies impacted by his actions could follow suit. Reshoots for Ridley Scott's "All The Money In The World" for Christopher Plummer to replace Kevin Spacey cost the film's financiers, Imperative Entertainment, an additional $10 million. Here's hoping there's a clause in their contracts somewhere to hit Spacey with those costs, especially considering co-star Mark Wahlberg was able to squeeze $1.5 million in reshoot payment compared to Michelle Williams, who only received an $80 per diem for each day of reshoots.
The company rightfully taking Spacey's undeserved cash, MRC, is an independent studio that has worked on Netflix's "Ozarks," Hulu's "The Great" and Apple TV+'s "The Shrink Next Door." Their $31 million payday should absolutely be used to fund future projects — hopefully ones filled with roles that Spacey would have loved to play but will never get the opportunity to because he's a colossal pile of human excrement. I hope you'll join me in giving one hearty middle finger to Kevin Spacey and using today's news as a reminder that karma is real and she has a great sense of humor.
Sucks to be you, Spacey.