So.. what's up with that alleged cannibalism thing? From violent accusations to a rehab stint
to ongoing financial woes, here's what happened to Armie Hammer since he got canceled by the world.
Things were looking up for Armie Hammer at the start of 2021.
He was set to star in "The Offer," a drama based on the making of "The Godfather,"
and a "Call Me By Your Name" sequel was in the works. That all changed, however,
when multiple women came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct, according to Variety.
The controversy began in January 2021 when violent Instagram messages Hammer supposedly
sent to a woman, simply known as Effie, were leaked. Although he denied misconduct,
even more damning DMs began to surface. As seen in various messages sent to former lovers,
Hammer appeared to express fantasies involving cannibalism and torture. In one DM, he wrote,
"I am 100% a cannibal."
This led to a reexamination of Hammer's past remarks.
The actor appeared to admit to having dangerous impulses in a 2013 Elle interview, divulging,
"My wife says I have a frontal lobe issue. Your frontal lobe
controls your danger response, like, 'Whoa, I shouldn't be doing this.'"
"She says that's where you assess risk and danger and all that and she says mine is just
severely underdeveloped."
In an interview with Playboy, he admitted that he had too much respect for his wife,
Elizabeth Chambers, to act on his fantasies. He said,
"I liked the grabbing of the neck and the hair
and all that. You get married and your sexual appetites change."
These comments led to debates as to whom Hammer deems "deserving" of respect.
One of the bigger signs of a celeb's downfall is being dropped by an agent.
Having no one who wants to represent you is, understandably,
a great source of embarrassment for the once high-flying rich and famous.
Hammer's life was beginning to look like one endless downward spiral in the wake of his
very public cancellation. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor's agency, WME,
dropped him in February 2021. If that wasn't a big enough blow to his career,
Hammer's publicist also cut ties with him.
Although he didn't immediately respond to the news,
Hammer previously claimed that his accusers are lying and plotting his downfall,
branding the misconduct allegations false, according to Variety.
His lawyer echoed his clients claims, telling the outlet,
"The stories being perpetuated in the media are a misguided attempt to present
a one-sided narrative with the goal of tarnishing Mr. Hammer's reputation."
Hammer's downfall continued as he was fired from several high profile productions.
He was set to star in "Shotgun Wedding" opposite Jennifer Lopez, but was promptly dropped from
the project in January 2021. Although he claimed that it was his decision to leave,
there was likely immense pressure for him to step down. He said in a statement to Variety,
"In light of the vicious and spurious online attacks against me, I cannot in good conscience
now leave my children for 4 months to shoot a film in the Dominican Republic.
Lionsgate is supporting me in this, and I'm grateful to them for that."
Two months later, The Hollywood Reporter announced that he was pulled from the thriller "The
Billion Dollar Spy." Then, he was replaced in the Broadway show "The Minutes," according to Vulture.
Soon after, he was dropped from the Paramount Plus series "The Offer,"
a dramatization of the making of "The Godfather." His role ultimately went to Miles Teller.
By the end of 2021, the career downfall showed no signs of slowing. As Deadline reported,
Hammer was replaced by "Arrested Development" star Will Arnett in the soccer flick "Next Goal Wins."
Further claims were made regarding Hammer's alleged kinks, but then came accusations of rape
and abuse, which led to an LAPD investigation. Speaking with Page Six, one of the actor's exes
claimed that Hammer said he wanted to eat her body parts, and was also partial to tasting blood.
"He pushes your boundaries a little bit at a time. You're his completely."
Another ex-girlfriend told the outlet that she was subjected to branding, which is a form of domestic
violence. She claimed that the actor would boast to his pals about branding his lovers.
According to Insider, the accuser who goes by Effie alleged that she was subjected to sexual
torture for four hours in 2017, adding that Hammer deliberately injured her feet so that
she had no way of leaving. Eventually, Effie was able to flee the alleged torturous ordeal.
"He abused me mentally, emotionally, and sexually."
After this, she pressed charges against the actor. In a statement,
Hammer said that these acts were part of consensual BDSM. One of his DMs,
published by International Business Times, shows him apparently admitting to rape
and enjoying making a woman cry — though this could have been a fantasy or part of role-play.
After nine months, the investigation ended in December 2021. According to TMZ, it's believed
that Hammer will end up in the clear because the case supposedly is not airtight enough.
It's not uncommon for once-thriving celebs to go bankrupt, particularly in the wake of a scandal.
As Vanity Fair reports, Hammer's financial situation isn't as cushy as one might expect,
despite being a successful actor from a controversial old money family.
"If you believe about making deals with the devil, the Hammers are the top of the totem pole."
Even before his downfall, he reportedly had major money woes,
with one of his exes revealing that she had to pay for everything throughout their relationship.
Hammer also once remarked that if he were to pay a debt owed to his "Call Me By Your
Name" director Luca Guadagnino, he would be completely bankrupt.
Speaking with Page Six, one of Hammer's exes even compared him
to "The Tinder Swindler." Hammer would reportedly ask her for cash all the time,
insisting that he would reimburse her once he had the money. The accuser said,
"If anyone swindled me it was this mother f—er."
If Hammer was struggling prior to being canceled, then the reality
of having zero work for the foreseeable future could be his financial undoing.
In June 2021, Vanity Fair reported that Hammer had entered a Florida rehab program for struggles
with drug, alcohol, and sex. Sources who spoke to TMZ said that the disgraced star
was doing well following intervention. While there was no suggestion that the actor was set
to admit to any of the misconduct claims he faced, insiders nonetheless divulged
that Hammer conceded he needed help. A friend of Hammer's told Vanity Fair,
"Everyone looks at Armie thinking that he's had some sort of privileged life — and that
must mean there were no problems in his youth and everything was peachy keen. But
that's not necessarily the way things go. Just because you come from an upbringing
where financial resources are plentiful doesn't mean life isn't without problems."
Hammer was treated at the facility for nine months. After completing the program,
The Sun reported that he was looking forward to getting his life back on
track and spending quality time with his two kids.
Entering rehab appeared to be one of the few perks in Hammer's post-canceled life.
According to Page Six insiders, the star's mom is mighty proud of how far he's come
and denied that her son had committed any of the acts he has been accused of. A source said,
"She said he's done great in the last year, and none of these things are true."
Following the revelations regarding Hammer's private life,
his wife of a decade and mother of his two children, Elizabeth Chambers,
issued a statement condemning sexual abuse. She wrote on Instagram,
"I didn't realize how much I didn't know. I support any victim of assault or abuse
and urge anyone who has experienced this pain to seek the help she or he needs to heal."
According to Vanity Fair, the couple was already having difficulties due to Hammer's infidelity.
In one instance, Hammer accidentally sent his wife a text intended for one of his lovers.
Subsequently, Chambers filed for divorce in 2020, before the cannibalistic screen
captures were made public. In the wake of the scandal, she reportedly referenced Ted Bundy.
Despite the gravity of the allegations,
it's not yet over for Hammer and Chambers. In February 2022, a source told People magazine
that the couple is now attempting to mend their fractured relationship. The tipster explained,
"Elizabeth's priority has always been her children and their well-being. The past year
hasn't been easy, but she and Armie have always had love for each other. They're slowly figuring
things out as a couple, but being parents to their two kids will always come first."
Armie Hammer may be canceled — for now, at least — but he knows that he can rely on some celebs
to have his back. In the immediate aftermath of Hammer's DMs being leaked, Bella Thorne spoke
out — not to condemn the allegedly problematic actions, but to stand in his corner. According to
BuzzFeed, in an Instagram Story, Thorne flat out refused to believe that the allegations are true,
even branding Hammer's accusers liars, which also resulted in a major backlash. She wrote,
"People are crazy to fake this kinda s— [...] This poor guy and his kids
like leave him and his family alone. No way he's a freaking CANNIBAL."
One of Hammer's exes tweeted at the time,
"Maybe you should start questioning why we live in a culture willing
to give abusers the benefit of the doubt instead of victims."
Hammer's "Shotgun Wedding" replacement Josh Duhamel offered his support,
sending his condolences to the actor via email, according to Man About Town.
And in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Dakota Johnson slammed Hammer's
vilification as nothing more than an example of cancel culture. She said,
"I feel sad for the loss of great artists. But, yeah, cancel culture is such a f—ing downer."