House of Cards employees accuse Kevin Spacey of harassment

A report accuses Kevin Spacey of allegedly targeting House of Cards staffers who were typically young and male with nonconsensual touching and crude comments.

CNN on Thursday reported that eight current or former House of Cards workers claim that Kevin Spacey made the production a “toxic” workplace and one ex-employee alleges the actor sexually assaulted him. The workers’ identities were withheld from Thursday’s report because they fear professional fallout, the cable news channel said.

Among them is a former production assistant who alleged that Kevin Spacey assaulted him during one of the Netflix show’s early seasons, and CNN reported that all of the people described Spacey’s behavior as predatory.

The report accuses Kevin Spacey of allegedly targeting staffers who were typically young and male with nonconsensual touching and crude comments.

Netflix has suspended production on the series, which was slated to end after its sixth season. The streaming service and House of Cards producers said Thursday that one allegation against Kevin Spacey involved a remark and gesture made during production of the show’s first season in 2012. After, Spacey willingly participated in training and producer Media Rights Capital said it was not aware of any additional complaints against the actor since then.

The production company said it has instituted a hotline for complaints and will investigate them thoroughly. There was no word on the fate of House of Cards in Thursday’s statements.

A person with knowledge of the decision said late Thursday that Spacey’s publicist and talent agency CAA have parted ways with the actor. His representatives on Wednesday said the two-time Oscar winner was in treatment for an unspecified condition.