Kevin Spacey: Seth MacFarlane, who joked about Harvey Weinstein, also hinted at rumours about actor through Family Guy

'Help! I've escaped from Kevin Spacey's basement!'

(Getty)

There's been a strong element of 'hiding in plain sight' to the allegations levelled against men in Hollywood recently, the behaviour of some of which was notorious but never made completely overt.

Following the tide of allegations against Harvey Weinstein, it was pointed out that Seth MacFarlane made a very clear joke about his alleged misdeeds back at the 2013 Oscar nominations announcement.

After revealing the Supporting Actress nominees, he quipped: "Congratulations, you five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein."

This morning, following actor Anthony Rapp's claims that Kevin Spacey made unwanted sexual advances on him at a party when he was 14, a 2005 clip from Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane's cartoon, circulated in which baby Stewie is dared to run through a mall naked shouting: "Help! I've escaped from Kevin Spacey's basement!"

Following Rapp's allegations, Spacey issued the following statement:

"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 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.

"This story has encouraged me to address other things about my life. I know that there are stories out there about me and that some have been fuelled 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."