In a rare and emotionally charged interview, actor Kevin Spacey openly addressed his past behavior, acknowledging that he had been "pushing boundaries" and admitting to being overly physical with people. The two-time Oscar winner, whose career came to a grinding halt after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced in 2017, spoke candidly with Piers Morgan for his "Uncensored" program.

Kevin Spacey breaks down as he tells Piers Morgan he's lost his home and now owes 'many millions' in legal bills.

Watch the full interview at 8pm (UK) on YouTube

https://t.co/QR11ywsANx@piersmorgan | @KevinSpacey pic.twitter.com/ouW06zE2vY

— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) June 11, 2024

During the interview aired on June 11, the 64-year-old actor broke down in tears, revealing that he is on the brink of bankruptcy and will lose his Baltimore home due to the immense legal debt he has accrued. This admission sheds light on the personal and professional consequences Spacey has faced in the wake of the allegations.

The accusations against Spacey began in Oct. 2017 when actor Anthony Rapp claimed that Spacey had made a sexual advance toward him when Rapp was just 14 years old and Spacey was 26. This allegation proved to be the catalyst for Spacey's fall from grace, as he was swiftly fired from his starring role in the acclaimed Netflix series "House of Cards" and found himself at the center of the #MeToo movement.

In the years that followed, Spacey faced multiple legal battles, including charges of groping an 18-year-old at a Massachusetts bar in 2016, which were later dropped when the accuser refused to testify. Additionally, Rapp sued Spacey for sexual assault and sexual battery in 2020, but Spacey was found not liable on all counts in a federal civil court two years later.

Last year, Spacey was acquitted in a UK court of sexually assaulting four men during his tenure as the artistic director of London's Old Vic Theatre between 2004 and 2013. However, he faces a civil trial in the UK next year after being sued by a man claiming Spacey sexually assaulted him.

During the interview with Morgan, Spacey acknowledged his "bad behavior" and admitted to "touching someone sexually in a way that I didn't know at the time they didn't want." When challenged by Morgan on the term "groping," Spacey stated, "I personally, I have caressed people. I have been gentle with people. That is the way that I am."

Spacey further expressed his understanding of the power dynamics at play, stating, "Recognizing that, understanding that and making a vow that that will never happen again for the rest of my life. I will never behave in the ways that I did previously, ever."

The actor also revealed that in the aftermath of the 2017 allegations, there were "a couple of times when it was very dark and when I was at my lowest," highlighting the personal toll the controversies have taken on his life.

As Spacey continues to navigate the legal and personal challenges before him, this interview offers a glimpse into his efforts to confront his past actions and their consequences, while striving to chart a path forward in an industry that once celebrated his talents.

The post Kevin Spacey acknowledges being 'handsy' appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

A former executive assistant to Kanye West has filed a lawsuit making allegations of sexual harassment, breach of contract, and wrongful termination against the rapper and his Yeezy sneaker business. The plaintiff, Lauren Pisciotta, 35, claims she is owed $3 million after enduring "intentional infliction of emotional distress" while employed.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by LP (@laurenpisciotta)

According to the lawsuit filed on Monday, Ms. Pisciotta alleges that Mr. West, who now goes by Ye, engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct over phone conversations with her according to TMZ.

Ms. Pisciotta contends that her employment was terminated in 2022 after a promised promotion to become Mr. West's "chief of staff" with a $4 million salary did not materialize. She also claims a multimillion-dollar severance package that was agreed upon was never paid out.

The court filing states Ms. Pisciotta had 15 years of experience in the music industry and previously collaborated with Mr. West on his Yeezy fashion line and songs for his Donda album. She alleges Mr. West hired her as an executive assistant at $1 million annually, requiring her availability around the clock.

The lawsuit alleges that after hiring the plaintiff, who had earned $1 million from an OnlyFans account that she deleted at Mr. West's request to be "God-like" for $1 million, he engaged in inappropriate communications and conduct. This included sending explicit text messages and exposing himself on a flight.

According to the filing, Mr. West allegedly made quotes such as stating his desire for partners to describe being sexually engaged while he was as well as expressing a wish for them to be unfaithful.

Additional allegations include Mr. West instructing Ms. Pisciotta to provide sexual supplements for him, his fixation on her boyfriend's anatomy, and sending explicit videos.

Representatives for Mr. West have not publicly responded to the lawsuit's claims so far, per reports. 

This is not the first time West has found himself in the headlines facing accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior. In Nov. 2022, it was reported that several former employees of West, who had previously admitted to a severe pornography addiction that strained his marriage, alleged that he showed them pornographic content and intimate pictures of his then-wife Kim Kardashian and that he used intimidation and excessive control over them.

The post Ye(t) another scandal – Kanye West faces $3M sexual harassment lawsuit appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Intelligence Services Minister Elazar Stern caused an uproar Sunday after revealing that as head of the Israel Defense Forces' Manpower Directorate he made sure that anonymous complaints, including those of sexual harassment against military officers, would get shredded, implying that they would not even be read or evaluated.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

In an interview with Radio 103FM, Stern, who is a member of Yesh Atid, said that while he would never object to looking into sexual misconduct allegations "if such complaints came with names," he thought that the culture of anonymous letters caused too great a damage.

"We cannot support a culture of anonymous accusations. Not at the expense of encouraging the complaint," he said. 

Stern added that while he led the IDF directorate, he would go out of his way so that female soldiers could feel comfortable filing such complaints. Nevertheless, with regard to anonymous complaints, "the paper shredder worked really fast," he said. 

In his interview, Stern commended the special panel that vetted and approved the Shin Bet security agency's deputy director nomination as its chief.

R. sailed through the confirmation process despite an anonymous letter that accused him of two unspecified incidents of misconduct.

While initially acknowledging that he would see to have anonymous complaints were shredded, by the end of his interview, Stern said he did not remember particular instances.

Appalled by the intelligence services minister's remarks, Hagit Peer – who heads the Na'amat women's organization – said that the fact that a publicly appointed government minister chose to spread such a message to the Israeli public was "an embarrassment and a disgrace."

Stern "should remember that Israeli law requires that sexual assault complaints be thoroughly investigated, even when they are anonymous," she said. "Instead of showing a good example, minister Stern is proud of his unenlightened policy."

The Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel said Stern "boasts of alleged support and encouragement of sexual harassment complaints, but his actions prove the opposite." It said such behavior promotes a toxic culture of sexual exploitation in the IDF.

"We call on Stern to apologize to the rank-and-file soldiers and commanders who trusted him and whose stories were shredded and disappeared. In addition, the IDF must address the issue and clarify to the public what has changed in the way it handles testimonies."

Knesset member Miri Regev also criticized Stern for failing to appropriately address the complaints and "simply shredding them" instead.

"I would not expect more from Elazar Stern, a shallow man, a chauvinist, who lacks values and brings shame upon the kippah he wears on his head," she said. "I did, however, expect, Meretz' feminist choir, the Labor Party, Blue and White, Yesh Atid, and all the enlightened Knesset members, all women that support women, to say something, to speak out against this shocking confession… What a disgrace."

Shortly after the interview, Stern took to Twitter to clarify that "as a human being, father of daughters, officer, and elected official, I am deeply disturbed by each and every sexual harassment and believe that Israeli society and law enforcement are obligated to have zero tolerance on such an essential issue."

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Did the IDF deliberately ignore anonymous sexual assault complaints? appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Iranian guards sexually harassed female inspectors with the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal Tuesday. The report, which relies on testimony from senior diplomatic officials, who say the US relayed the message to Tehran it must put an immediate end to the harassment.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

The harassment, which was not reported on in the past, took place at a uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, an isolated site in the desert where a large explosion took place in July. According to the sources, the guards attempted to remove the inspectors' clothing on four different occasions. One diplomatic source quoted in The Wall Street Journal report said he had witnessed seven incidents of sexual harassment by the guards.

In a letter published by The Wall Street Journal, IAEA employees called on the organization's leaders to demand an end to the harassment.

According to the sources, the first such incident took place in June, with the most recent incident happening in recent weeks. While the IAEA has now admitted the harassment took place, it has yet to reveal any details of what transpired. The Iranians have yet to respond to The Wall Street Journal's request for comment.

In a statement, the IAEA said it "immediately and firmly raised this issue with Iran to explain in very clear and unequivocal terms that such security-related incidents involving Agency staff are unacceptable and must not happen again.

"Iran has provided explanations related to reinforced security procedures following events at one of their facilities. As a result of this exchange between the Agency and Iran there have been no further incidents," the agency said.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Iranian guards sexually harassed IAEA inspectors at Natanz nuclear research center appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

I assumed, because of the current #MeToo climate, this news would compel CK to disappear from our lives and take his comedy along with him, which is perhaps the most real thing I've ever seen on television.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Shortly after the reality of his actions sunk in, I suddenly realized that even for someone like me who openly identifies with his brand of humor, the comedian lost a little something. The more one thinks of the sex act, the more one suffers from secondhand embarrassment. To masturbate in front of "consenting" women who either thought he was joking or froze and were too afraid to say no to the comedy giant when he asked if he could pleasure himself in front of them? That's not cool, to say the least. Really. 

Two years ago, five women came forward accusing CK of lewd behavior in an exclusive article in The New York Times. It is likely that CK performed the same act in front of many other women, who refused to speak up. But surely there is something defiant about a man who is accused of such acts selling out halls around the world – three of them in Israel – in such a short time after this news broke. It is almost as if nothing ever happened at all. 

In fact, he seems like a stronger and more confident comedian now. Granted, he's still neurotic and messed up, but in a charming and enlightening way. But do we really need to see him scratching at the bottom of our souls just so he can earn his redemption? Isn't it all a bit unnecessary? After all, we only live once and maybe we don't need to see the shady behind-the-scenes side of show business.

Instead of expecting our cultural heroes to follow a neat trajectory after they fall from grace to consist of coming forward with a spiritual and physical makeover, we should accept them as they really are: tired, worn out, drained of everything except the talent that brought them to the top of the game in the first place and blissfully aware of the embarrassing errors they make along the way.

The post Louis CK: A messed up genius appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison issued a statement after meeting at Parliament House with sisters Dassi Erlich and Nicole Meyer, who were allegedly abused by Malka Leifer when she was principal of Melbourne's ultra-Orthodox Adass Israel School.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

The 52-year-old fled to Israel in 2008 after the allegations emerged.

"My government is strongly committed to ensuring that justice is served in the case of Malka Leifer," Morrison said. "We call for the matter to be resolved transparently and quickly."

"We also reaffirm our commitment to have Malka Leifer extradited to Australia to face 74 charges of child sexual abuse," Morrison added.

Erlich told reporters outside Parliament House that she and her sister wanted the government "to do more."

"Enough is enough. We don't want platitudes, we want action," Erlich said.

"This has taken a tremendous toll on both of our lives. Traveling back and forth, not seeing any results, the frustrations, knowing at some point she might get bail, it's had an emotional toll on our lives," Erlich said.

Meyer, her sister, said: "We're not just doing it for ourselves. We're trying to give a message to all survivors that even if you have been abused, life can go on; justice should be served."

Government lawmaker Dave Sharma, who was Australian ambassador to Israel in 2014 when the extradition request was made, and opposition lawmaker Josh Burns joined the sisters at a news conference to demonstrate that Australia's major political parties were united in a bid to bring Leifer to justice.

Sharma said that after more than 60 Israeli court hearings, "we seem to be no closer to having Malka Leifer extradited."

"We are here today to send a very clear message to Israel that this case is a high priority for Australia and it's one we will be ceaseless in pursuing and it's one that unless resolved soon will have an impact on the broader relationship," Sharma said.

Israel's Supreme Court last week upheld an appeal against a decision to release Leifer from jail to house arrest. Prosecutors argue she is feigning mental illness to dodge extradition.

The post Australia asks Israel to return educator in Leifer case appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.