Armie Hammer's Fall From Grace Is Something To Behold

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Once upon a time, Armie Hammer was a Golden Globe-nominated actor starring in blockbuster films like "Call Me By Your Name" and "The Social Network." But just as his career was beginning to skyrocket, some of his deepest secrets began to be revealed. From the top of the box office charts to the bottom of the business, Hammer experienced a fast and furious fall from grace that left him a pariah in Hollywood. Hammer has all but disappeared from the silver screen and his name is now associated with triggering matters, including sexual assault and cannibalism. 

After some time away from the spotlight, Hammer emerged from hiding showing gratitude for all he had been through. "I'm now at a place in my life where I'm grateful for every single bit of it," Hammer said of his series of scandals on the "Painful Lessons" podcast in 2024 (per The Hollywood Reporter). "... because where I was in my life before all of that stuff happened to me, I didn't feel good. I never felt satisfied. I never had enough. I never was in a place where I was happy with myself."

We checked in with Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani, president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, to get her take on how these kinds of accusations play out in public opinion. She pointed out, "The court of public opinion is as important as the courtroom. Entertainers today have to be careful about avoiding these types of accusations in Hollywood if they want to avoid being canceled." Though, it may be too late for Armie Hammer. 

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By the beginning of the 2020s, Armie Hammer was one of Hollywood's hottest actors. After his star-making turn in 2010's "The Social Network," he was cast in major motion pictures including 2012's "Mirror Mirror," 2015's "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," and 2018's "On The Basis of Sex." He even received critical and awards season acclaim for his role opposite Timothee Chalamet in 2017's "Call Me By Your Name." His inspiration for his profession came from a dream he had early on where he found himself co-starring alongside Macaulay Culkin in "Home Alone." "There's something about it that feels like a bigger message that I'm getting," he shared with Cherwell in 2014. "'I'm supposed to be an actor!' I knew that I wanted to participate in the fantasy."

As the global pandemic continued to grip the world, Hammer continued to keep busy, and even had a film adaptation of "Rebecca" on the docket. But the tables were soon to turn on the actor.

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In early 2021, Armie Hammer was accused of rape stemming from a 2017 incident by a woman identified as "Effie." The woman claimed that she and Hammer were in a tumultuous four-year relationship that included violent instances including the assault. "Effie" took to Instagram to post the gory details about their affair Hammer was married to Elizabeth Chambers at the time. "During and since this attack, I have lived in fear of him and for a long time, I tried to dismiss his actions towards me as a twisted form of love," the victim shared publicly (per People). "Now that he no longer has any power over me, I have come to understand that the immense mental hold he held over me was incredibly damaging on many levels."

Effie's story took off and her posts were eventually supported by notorious gossip site Deuxmoi, and more individuals came forward with accusations. This was where things started to really fall apart for Hammer. The public may disbelieve one accuser," Neama Rahmani said. "But when multiple accusers come forward with similar stories of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, that is hard to overcome."

The actor was dropped by his agency and publicist, as well as fired from several projects to which he was attached. The only film that he remained part of, 2022's "Death on the Nile," even removed him from the majority of promotions as a result of the scandal. Meanwhile, Hammer and his representatives worked to free his name from the damning accusations. "With the truth on his side, Mr. Hammer welcomes the opportunity to set the record straight," his attorney said at the time (per People).

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Sexual violence wasn't the only thing that Armie Hammer was accused of in 2021. Rumors of the actor being a cannibal made the rounds in the press, adding to the intense scrutiny Hammer faced. There were even texts released to "prove" the rumors, with messages allegedly reading "I am 100% a cannibal" and "I want to eat you" (per Variety). This kind of proof was especially damning because "people can lie, but messages, video, and audio don't lie, and Hammer's explicit messages and affair while he was married made the scandal even worse," Neama Rahmani said. 

The claims were compounded by suspicious social media activity that Hammer had shown over the years. In 2017, he liked tweets about rope bondage on his public-facing X (formerly Twitter) account, while in 2019, he posted a video of his then-toddler sucking on his toes with the hashtag "#footfetishonfleek." When the public reacted unfavorably towards the post, Hammer's wife at the time, Elizabeth Chambers Hammer, took time to clarify the eyebrow-raising post. "Sharing the video on Instagram was def not the best move on A's part, but I can assure you that our children's safety and well-being is always our first priority," she commented on a repost of the video (per USA Today).

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Even with the mounting evidence against him online, the rape charge against Armie Hammer was dismissed in 2023. "There is insufficient evidence to charge Mr. Hammer with a crime," the Los Angeles District Attorney's office said in a statement (per Variety). "... Due to the complexity of the relationship and inability to prove a non-consensual, forcible sexual encounter we are unable to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt."

But even though the charges were dropped, Hammer still needed to take to the press to try and clear his now tarnished name. "I'm here to own my mistakes, take accountability for the fact that I was an a******, that I was selfish, that I used people to make me feel better, and when I was done, moved on," he shared with Air Mail in 2023. He went on to claim that all of his sexual encounters had been consensual and that he himself had once been abused as a young adult, which in turn altered his sexual life as an adult. "I was powerless in the situation," he shared with the outlet. "I had no agency in the situation. My interests then went to: I want to have control in the situation, sexually."

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In the midst of the media backlash he faced, Armie Hammer left the United States for a while and fled with his family to the Cayman Islands. While in self-inflicted exile, the actor earned money as a timeshare salesman. "The reality is he's totally broke, and is trying to fill the days and earn money to support his family," a source told Variety at the time. The source also revealed that the besmirched actor also managed an apartment complex at the location, all in an effort to support his family.

That wasn't all of the woes that Hammer faced. He also headed to rehab in Florida for an extended stay, which was reportedly paid for by "Iron Man" star Robert Downey, Jr. Hammer also stayed at Downey, Jr.'s house upon his return to Los Angeles, where he eventually reunited with his estranged wife and children, who were always on his mind even during the darkest times. "I just walked out into the ocean and swam out as far as I could and hoped that either I drowned, or was hit by a boat, or eaten by a shark," the actor revealed in 2023 to Air Mail. "Then I realized that my kids were still on shore and that I couldn't do that to my kids."

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While the Armie Hammer saga unfolded in the press, a documentary series about his famous family was released. In "House of Hammer," which premiered on the now-defunct Discovery+ in September 2022, detailed the actor's various indiscretions along with his famously wealthy family and the not-so-secret accusations that historically plagued them. "I'm here to say, my family is real and it's a million times worse [than 'Succession']," his aunt, Casey Hammer, shared in the series (per Time).

Along with more details about Hammer's BDSM tendencies, the series tells the story of Armie's great-grandfather, Armand, and the misdeeds of the men in the family. Casey Hammer's self-published book, "Surviving My Birthright," served as source material for the show, which depicted generations of abusive marriages, threatening demeanor, and excessive lifestyles. "I wanted to be able to tell my story and help people heal as opposed to watch my nephew implode and self-destruct," she told the outlet.

Attorney Neama Rahmani said Hammer's background adds a compelling twist to the accusations. "Hammer's famous family plays a role in the public's interest in the case, as well as the accusations of cannibalism," she said. "The bigger the celebrity and more shocking the scandal, the more interest there will be."

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While his public life derailed, Armie Hammer's personal life also fell apart behind the scenes. The actor's ex-wife, Elizabeth Chambers, reportedly intercepted text messages between her husband and another woman. The two separated and Chambers filed for divorce from Hammer in 2020 — several months before the sexual assault claims against him were made public. "For weeks, I've been trying to process everything that has transpired," she posted to Instagram in response to the claims against Hammer in 2021. "Heartbreak aside, I am listening, and will continue to listen and educate myself on these delicate matters. I didn't realize how much I didn't know."

The couple continued to be estranged throughout his public backlash despite living in the Cayman Islands, where both adults were able to spend time with their two children. They even started dating different people during that time. But by 2022, the pair reconciled platonically in an effort to better co-parent their children. "The past year hasn't been easy, but she and Armie have always had love for each other," a source told People. "They're slowly figuring things out as a couple, but being parents to their two kids will always come first." Despite the reconciliation, their divorce was finalized in June 2023.

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In 2023, Armie Hammer came back into the spotlight to try and set things straight. In the aforementioned Air Mail interview, he revealed a number of insights about his life, as well as detailed more about the alleged assaults he made. While he admitted that there was an "imbalance of power" between him and the women, his success as an actor trumped everything else. "They could have been happy to just be with me and would have said yes to things that maybe they wouldn't have said yes to on their own," he shared with the outlet.

Hammer also admitted that he was "massively in debt" with about $14 to $16 million lost in legal fees and dropped acting roles. He also stated that he wasn't legally cleared to work in the Cayman Islands, as he didn't have a valid work permit, and that he was living with a sober companion at the time. "It feels like my recovery has taken a turn from me being the one who needs help staying sober to me being able to help others," he said. "Twelve steps in action."

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By 2024, Armie Hammer was ready to reveal even more about his alleged abuse in the wake of his public downfall. He appeared on "Piers Morgan Uncensored," where the namesake host wasted no time in addressing what he called the "elephant in the room." "You know what you have to do to be a cannibal? You have to have actually eaten someone," Hammer responded (per People). "No. Not a question I'd ever thought I'd have to answer by the way. But no, never."

The actor also admitted in the interview that he had a "sexually charged" relationship with Effie the accuser, and that he did in fact use a small knife during an intimate moment with ex-girlfriend Paige Lorenze, which he said was to add his initial to her skin. He even shared that for a time he was only allowed to see his children with a supervised therapist visit. "It was tough," he told the host (per People). "It was a dark time for everybody."