Armie Hammer waited years before getting his first break in Hollywood. But when he finally made it, it blew up in his face. Hammer’s first significant role was in the 2010s The Social Network. Despite some good reviews on his work in the movie, it didn’t land him any leading man roles. He struggled with being typecast, with fans only swooning over his good looks. It wasn’t until 2018’s Call Me By Your Name that Hammer reached the stardom he craved.
But even at this time, Hammer already had a reputation for posting sexual kinks on his main Instagram page. He also often liked things on social media that he shouldn’t have. It wasn’t until 2021 that the sexual assault allegations against the actor started blowing up, and his public image was ruined. Here is everything you need to know about the rise and fall of Armie Hammer.
A Timeline of Armie Hammer’s Recent Controversies
Although there were tons of rumors, the first allegations against Armie Hammer surfaced in January 2021. The posts detailed text messages allegedly sent from the star about his hankering for BDSM and fantasies bordering on cannibalism. In the same month, Hammer’s ex-girlfriend, Courtney Vucekovich, came forward with similar allegations. She described the Call Me By Your Name actor as a wannabe Hannibal Lecter. She even said the star once said he would like to barbecue and eat one of her ribs.
Another ex-girlfriend, Paige Lorenzo, also stated that Hammer allegedly branded and took explicit photos of her without her consent. Hammer’s ex-wife, Elizabeth Chambers, spoke out on Instagram a month later. While she was open to supporting the alleged abuse victims, her main focus was on her children and healing. Chambers and Hammer divorced in July 2020.
On March 11, 2021, Vanity Fair published an article about Hammer’s family. It detailed the 35-year-old actor and his family’s dark history. Days later, during a press conference, the woman behind the House of Effie Instagram account accused Hammer of sexual assault. Apparently, it happened in 2017 when they were dating. An LAPD spokesperson confirmed that the actor was being investigated for an alleged sexual assault. Hammer’s lawyer denied the allegations and stated that Effie and Hammer’s sexual relationship was consensual.
In May 2021, Hammer was spotted in the Cayman Islands. It was later reported that the star had checked himself into a rehab facility earlier that year for drug, alcohol, and sex issues. Although things were quiet for a while in 2022, the House of Hammer documentary was released on Discover + in September. On May 31, 2023, The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced they wouldn’t charge Hammer over sexual assault allegations. He released a short statement on Instagram.
House of Hammer Documentary: Everything We Know
The three-part docuseries, House of Hammer, aimed to expose all the alleged abuse and control claims about Hollywood’s one-time golden boy. The trailer featured sit-downs with two of Hammer’s alleged victims. There was also a screenshot where Hammer calls himself ‘100% a cannibal’.
The documentary also investigates the Hammer family’s history of abuse of power dating back to the 1920s. Hammer’s aunt even claimed that her father had sexually abused her when she was a child. It reported that Hammer’s great-grandfather was convicted of manslaughter in 1920. Even more, Hammer’s great-grandfather also allegedly killed a man over a gambling debt in 1955. While the charges were dismissed based on self-defense, it still shows a history of corruption, abuse, and scandals that these men in his family got away with.
The victims featured in the documentary include ex-girlfriends Courtney Vucekovich and Julia Morrison. Armie Hammer’s aunt, Casey Hammer, is a consultant on the series and wasn’t surprised at how the movie star turned out. According to Casey, while the family seemed near perfect, they weren’t. She likened them to the Roy family from HBO’s hit series, Succession, who were troubled and obsessed with power and money.
Armie Hammer’s Career After House of Hammer
With Hammer’s agency, WME, and his publicist dropping him weeks after these allegations came to light, his career was bound to suffer tremendously. Hammer was to be in Shotgun Wedding alongside Jennifer Lopez. But he dropped out of the film and was replaced by Josh Duhamel. Around the same time, he also dropped out of the Paramount Plus series, The Offer. It was a behind-the-scenes story of how The Godfather was made. He was also recast in the series about the 1972 Watergate scandal, Gaslit.
This was only the beginning, with Hammer being dropped from the movie Billion Dollar Spy and announcing that he won’t return to Broadway for the production of The Minutes. On February 6, 2023, Hammer broke his silence in an interview with Air Mail. Hammer defended himself against the allegations but admitted being emotionally manipulative towards his former partners. The actor also revealed that a youth pastor sexually abused him as a teenager.
During the interview, Hammer reflected on his chances of making a comeback in Hollywood. Hammer said it was unlikely because no one was willing to hire or work with him. After all, that would brand them as a team that supports abusers. With the actor losing millions in legal fees while trying to salvage his career, he’s now in debt and has had to take a job working as a timeshare salesman. While it may be out of his comfort zone, he still needs to make money and clear his debts.
The Impact of House of Hammer on Hollywood
With no agency or publicist willing to work with Hammer, his career seems over. After the #metoo era, cancel culture has been rampantly effective in Hollywood. Even the whiff of scandal on social media could lead to boycotts and force studios to part ways with the alleged abuser. Hammer’s fall from grace indicated that even though it would take a while, canceled culture would still happen.
With other actors like Kevin Spacey, James Franco, and now Armie Hammer feeling the pinch of their actions, Hollywood doesn’t seem to condone these acts or want to be associated with scandal. But with Ezra Miller getting a seemingly free pass and being allowed to star in The Flash movie, maybe some people are more memorable than others. But Miller and WB Studios felt the brunt of the public’s outrage with how badly the film flopped at the box office.
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