‘Spacey Unmasked’: Kevin Spacey’s ‘House of Cards’ Abuse Allegations & More Shocking Takeaways From Part 1

Kevin Spacey speaks to press after leaving court at Southwark Crown Court on July 26, 2023
Chris J Ratcliffe / Getty Images

[Warning: The following contains discussions of sexual assault and harassment.]

Spacey Unmasked dives into allegations of sexual harassment and abuse made against Kevin Spacey over the many years of his long career. The accusations revealed in the two-part documentary series are brand new and come from 10 men who were not involved in Spacey’s recent trial in the U.K. in which he was cleared of all nine charges against him.

The first episode dove into Spacey’s family life that was allegedly rife with abuse and tracked the two-time Oscar-winner’s career from its early stages to the peaks of his success in the 1990s. Part 1 of Spacey Unmasked premiered on Investigation Discovery on Monday, May 13. Part 2 debuts on Tuesday, May 14 at 9/8c.

Here are some of the biggest takeaways from first episode, in order of appearance.

1. Kevin Spacey’s brother, Randall Fowler, gave interviews — and looks a lot like Rod Stewart

Randall tells all about his relationship with his estranged younger brother and what it was like to grow up together in their allegedly abusive household. His bold fashion sense, hairstyle, and face will make you think of Rod Stewart instantly. That someone with such close family ties to Spacey participated in this documentary is noteworthy. There will be more details about Randall and Kevin and their home life in Episode 2.

2. Kevin Spacey’s father was a Neo-Nazi

Some of the first scenes of the first episode reveal that Spacey’s father, Thomas Folwer, was a neo-Nazi who hosted nazi meetings in his home with his young sons present. Randall visited that home in the first episode as he brought up childhood memories with playing with neighbors with his little brother. There are flashes of what appears to be old photos of the home that depict nazi memorabilia decorating the walls.

Spacey previously revealed his father’s white supremacist and neo-nazi beliefs in a 2022 court case, but it was a hard reveal for the public to believe. Randall’s participation in the documentary confirmed that Spacey was actually being honest about his father’s beliefs and political activity.

3. Spacey allegedly abused men on set of House of Cards and beyond

The new allegations against Spacey revealed in this documentary span decades, dating back to his early years as an actor after leaving Juilliard (and allegedly before college) to the height of his fame. A background actor who played a Secret Service agent for Spacey’s House of Cards character, Frank Underwood, is one of the first men to appear with new allegations in the docuseries. He alleges that Spacey groped him on set of an episode between takes.

This appears to be a pattern. Several men allege that Spacey inappropriately touched them in work spaces, making them feel “small” and guilty. Almost every story alleges that when these traumatizing interactions occurred with Spacey, they were done in public spaces. Some of the men say that Spacey’s mistreatment of them crushed their dreams for their career. To have the attention of someone as successful as Spacey, they said, and to have him abuse that power on them was a crushing blow.

Part of what made these men feel that they couldn’t expose Spacey’s alleged behavior in the 1990s, according to an entertainment journalist providing analysis in the episode, was the feeling that reporting Spacey’s physical harassment would be tantamount to outing the actor as gay. Spacey kept details about his sexuality private for most of his career, but when the accusations against him in the #MeToo movement came out in 2017, he confirmed that he was gay in an apparent attempt to distract and save face.

The first episode ends with a statement from the documentary creators and Spacey.

“Kevin Spacey said that he had been provided with insufficient time and detail to respond to the testimonies in this film,” the creators’ statement said.

Spacey stated: “I have consistently denied — and now successfully defended — numerous allegations made both in the U.S. and the U.K., both criminal and civil, and each time have been able to source evidence undermining the allegations and have been believed by a jury of my peers.”

Spacey Unmasked, Part 2 Premieres Tuesday, May 14, 9/8c, Investigation Discovery

If you or someone you know is the victim of sexual assault, contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network‘s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.