Kevin Spacey faces backlash for selling collectable ‘junk’ patriotic ring: ‘Who tricked you into thinking this was a good idea?’
Kevin Spacey is selling rings for America’s 250th birthday. (Kristy Sparow/Getty)
Disgraced gay actor Kevin Spacey has ignited backlash for selling a patriotic ring as part of his “comeback”.
The 66-year-old actor, best known for Netflix’s political drama House of Cards, says the ring is to “celebrate America’s 250th birthday”.
“I created a limited-edition collectible ring,” Spacey wrote on X on Wednesday (1 July). “Each collector’s box is personally hand-signed by me. Very limited quantities available for three weeks only. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”
The text captions an image of Spacey with his fist extended to show off the gold ring. The jewellery is engraved with the initials “FU”.
Presumably, the initials reference American President Frank Underwood, the character Spacey portrays in House of Cards. In the show, the character is bisexual, sharing flirtatious and sexual encounters with both men and women.
The initials on the ring are surrounded by the numbers 46 and 49 as well as four stars. The numbers presumably refer to Underwood being the 46th president and 49th vice president in the series.
“Brass rings are carnival prizes, clown,” one commenter wrote in response to Spacey’s post.
Others called the ring “junk” and a “joke”.
Another added: “Who the f*** tricked you into thinking this was a good idea? Try to get your money back.”
‘Who tricked you into thinking this was a good idea?’
Furthermore, there’s a Latin phrase on the ring: “Per Ardua Ad Astra.” This translates to “through struggle, to the stars”. Many pointed out that it’s a reworking of the Starfleet motto in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: “Ad Astra Per Aspera” which means “to the stars through struggle”.
This is particularly shocking considering one of Spacey’s accusers, Anthony Rapp, was part of a Star Trek series from 2017 to 2024. In a 2022 civil case, a jury found Spacey not liable for the alleged 1986 sexual misconduct, where Rapp alleged Spacey molested him when he was 14.
Spacey has repeatedly denied all allegations. A 2023 trial in London saw him cleared of nine charges, including sexual assault related to four men.
In March 2026, Spacey agreed to a settlement with three men who accused him of sexual assault. The civil trial was due to go ahead in London, but has been frozen due to the settlement.
Though he’s been widely ostracised, Spacey is desperate to return to Hollywood. On Wednesday, he went on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, where the actor made a series of statements about returning to the industry.
“There was so many stories about me. There was lots of talk about that I was gay and I just wasn’t out and rather than the gay community understanding that…I always felt that I was being attacked,” he declared.
Maher also asked about the actor’s struggle to get roles since the allegations became public in 2017.
“I feel less in jail than I did,” Spacey replied. “When people actually start to hear the facts, understand what we won in courts, I think people now look at this and think, ‘Maybe nine years has been enough.’”
