'The View' Shreds Kevin Spacey's Sexual Misconduct Apology as 'Irresponsible,' 'Dangerous' and 'Dumb'

Spacey has been criticized for linking homosexuality and pedophilia with his statement. "It takes a lot to remind people these having nothing to do with each other," Sara Haines said Monday morning. "To hide under that and to say that was such an intellectually irresponsible thing to do. Your inclinations toward a 14 year old have nothing to do with your sexual orientation. That's predatory behavior."

"He's like Trump, trying to distract with uranium," said Joy Behar. "It's a distraction. Take your eye off of the ball and look at the squirrel over there."

While he said he didn't remember the encounter, Spacey apologized for "what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior." "That was Mel Gibson's excuse," said Behar. "But in vino veritas, you can say I was drunk but you know what that means, when I'm drunk I speak the truth."

"The thing that people are concerned about is that you can say, 'I don't remember it, it was 30 years ago and if it did happen, I'm sorry,' but you don't need to then, 'Oh by the way i am going to live my life a gay man,' because it does give that conversation that people like to have about gay people, it gives them a reason to hold onto it," said Whoopi Goldberg. "It was really a dumb thing to say."

Meghan McCain said Spacey's coming out "worked" as a distraction. "There are a lot of headlines all over the Internet saying 'Kevin Spacey Comes Out as Gay' without including these allegations. It just exacerbates a really old stereotype from the '50s about gay people and pedophilia and it's so dangerous and its so intellectually dishonest."

"He banked on everyone falling for that part and not hearing the, it was a 14 year old boy," added Haines.

Rapp told Buzzfeed in an article published Sunday that Spacey befriended him in the late '80s while they were both performing on Broadway. The actor recalled Spacey inviting him to a party at his apartment, putting him on his bed, climbing on top of him and trying to molest him before Rapp was able to push him off and leave

"I have a lot of respect and admiration for Anthony Rapp as an actor. I'm beyond horrified to hear his story. I honestly do not remember the encounter, it would have been over 30 years ago. But if I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior, and I am sorry for the feelings he describes having carried with him all these years," Spacey said in a statement he released on Twitter Sunday night.

"This story has encouraged me to address other things about my life," the actor continued. "I know that there are stories out there about me and that some have been fueled by the fact that I have been so protective of my privacy. As those closest to me know, in my life I have had relationships with both men and women. I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man. I want to deal with this honestly and openly and that starts with examining my own behavior."