Many Western Pennsylvania comic enthusiasts reacted with disappointment to Steel City Con’s last-minute announcement that controversial actor Kevin Spacey would attend this past weekend’s event.
CJ Gatsby, a loyal customer of Steel City Con, said he waffled on whether to attend this past weekend, but the Spacey announcement solidified it for him: he wouldn’t be showing up.
“Everybody who I knew had bought their tickets at least a month ago,” said Gatsby, 27, of Greenfield, as the con offers early bird specials. “They were very upset that they had bought tickets a month ago not knowing that a ‘dangerous person’ was going to be there — it felt very dishonest.”
Spacey was acquitted of sexual assault in July 2023, The Associated Press reported. He has also faced other civil allegations.
Steel City Con takes place several times a year at the Monroeville Convention Center. Celebrity guests are usually revealed around two or three months ahead of time, according to many of its attendees.
The announcement of Spacey’s attendance came Friday afternoon via social media posts on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok — after the comic con had already begun. The event ran from Friday to Sunday.
“Steel City Con is excited to announce Kevin Spacey is attending … Sunday only,” the Facebook post reads, including Spacey’s TV credits and accolades.
The post had garnered 531 mad reactions, 466 thumbs up reactions and 142 surprised reactions as of Tuesday afternoon. Over 100,000 people had viewed the post as well.
Spacey is a two-time Academy Award winner, best known for his roles in “The Usual Suspects,” “American Beauty,” “House of Cards” and more.
Despite being acquitted, Sara Demko of Mount Washington said she believes the allegations should be “taken seriously” nonetheless. Actor Anthony Rapp had accused Spacey of sexual abuse that allegedly took place when Rapp was 14, a minor, and Spacey was 27. A jury in a civil trial found in 2022 that Spacey did not abuse Rapp.
“The allegations against Spacey are pretty … upsetting,” said Demko, 39. “I think it sends a message that (Steel City Con doesn’t) really care.”
Demko, 39, has worked with children dealing with mental health issues.
Steel City Con did not respond to TribLive’s multiple requests for comment Monday and Tuesday.
A two-part documentary, which aired in the U.K. last May titled “Spacey Unmasked” includes interviews with 10 men who allege they experienced “unwanted sexual behavior” from Spacey, Today reported.
He has denied all allegations of sexual assault.
The allegations of sexual abuse have been brought by dozens of men since, Forbes reported.
Spacey stood trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court in 2023, charged with sexually assaulting four men between 2004 and 2013 in Britain, before being acquitted on his 64th birthday.
Spacey still faces a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse.
When a public figure with allegations like Spacey is invited to a public event, especially a family-friendly one where minors are present, it sends a message by giving him a platform, according to Demko.
“It just feels like those types of experiences are dismissed,” she said. “That’s what was disappointing to see.”
Social media ire
Demko said she was disgusted by what she called a “tone deaf” move by Steel City Con. It prompted her to post in a Reddit thread titled “kevin spacey at comic con” in the community r/pittsburgh that gained traction following the announcement Friday. In the thread, she and other users expressed their dismay and shock over the situation.
“He was announced very last minute, and it seemed very personal,” she said. “They knew how it would affect people, and they did it anyways.”
The social media announcement also included a video Spacey recorded of himself revealing the news that he would be in attendance.
“I’m really, really pleased that I can get there, and I’m hoping to see you all in Pittsburgh soon,” Spacey said in the post.
He mentioned in the video that he would be taking photos with fans and signing autographs alongside his “The Usual Suspects” co-star Stephen Baldwin.
Steel City Con directed those interested in meeting Spacey to purchase tickets and VIP packages, as well as sign up to purchase photos and autographs at two separate links.
Featured Local Businesses
Celebrities receive base pay for showing up to comic cons and then make more money off of signings and photographs, according to Zach Funk, who likes to purchase comics and collectibles. It’s unknown how much Spacey was paid by Steel City Con.
Funk, 40, of McCandless, has attended a few of Steel City Con’s events in the past, including last year, when he met childhood favorite “Weird Al” Yankovic. People should know which celebrities are attending ahead of time so they know where their money is going, he said.
“To sneak someone in like that — it tells me they thought it was a bad idea and still decided to do it anyway,” he said. “They should’ve been up front about having him there in the first place.”
Funk noticed a large billboard has been up on McKnight Road advertising the event.
Though people don’t have to buy tickets ahead of time, the ticketing site “strongly” encourages people to get them early. They are nonrefundable, Steel City Con’s website says.
Gatsby said announcing Spacey so late didn’t make sense from a business perspective, as people who maybe would’ve wanted to see Spacey weren’t able to plan ahead of time.
“How would you be making money on a guest that you haven’t been advertising?” he said.
“Businesses … can support who they want to support. I get it on both sides,” he said. “People can make whatever choice they want; it’s just a matter of being up front.”
He knows friends who have been involved with Steel City Con, and he said he believes workers should be able to make the same informed decision if they’d want to be involved with someone like Spacey set to attend.
“Let people make informed decisions,” Funk said.
Dorothy Rose said she noticed the Spacey announcement had been posted to TikTok and comments had been disabled.
The Facebook post said “Steel City Con limited who can comment on this post” where users would normally be able to discuss their thoughts, and the Instagram announcement’s comments had also been disabled, as of Tuesday afternoon.
Rose, 32, of East Liberty, was planning on purchasing tickets to attend Steel City Con on Sunday. The Spacey news deterred her.
“My interest pretty much plummeted after that,” Rose said.
Demko said Steel City Con’s decision to bring Spacey to Pittsburgh sends the wrong message to fans and survivors of abuse.
“We should be celebrating artists who uplift and inspire — not those with a deeply troubling history,” she said. “Pittsburgh deserves better.”