Armie Hammer Addresses ‘Hilarious’ & ‘Bizarre’ Cannibalism Allegations

The Social Network star Armie Hammer has finally broken his silence on those cannibalism accusations, which he called “bizarre” and “hilarious.”

Appearing on the latest episode of the Painful Lessons podcast, the actor addressed the “outlandish” allegations, saying, “Now, I’m able to sort of look at it with a sense of distance and perspective and be like, ‘That’s hilarious.'” (per Decider).

In 2021, Hammer was accused of sexual assault and physically abusive behavior by a woman who shared alleged screenshots of private messages with the Call Me by Your Name star, where he fantasized about cannibalism.

At the time, another woman came forward and told Page Six that she had also been involved with Hammer and claimed he “branded her, purposefully left her covered in bruises, and also talked about ‘consuming her.”

An attorney for Hammer said, “These assertions about Mr. Hammer are patently untrue. Any interactions with this person, or any partner of his, were completely consensual in that they were fully discussed, agreed upon, and mutually participatory.”

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office ultimately dropped the charges following an investigation into the sexual assault claims.

“People called me a cannibal and everyone believed them,” Hammer said on the Painful Lessons podcast. “They’re like, ‘Yep, that guy ate people.’ You’re just like, ‘What? What are you talking about? Do you know what you have to do to be a cannibal? You have to eat people. How am I going to be a cannibal?’ It was bizarre.”

In 2022, Discovery+ ran a three-part docuseries, House of Hammer, which focused on the allegations.

Around the same time, Hammer’s attorney released a statement, writing, “There was never a case. A lot of people think that there was. There was never a lawsuit, never a criminal proceeding. The media are obsessed with that matter. It never turned into litigation or into a criminal charge against anyone. That was a misconception. […] It captured the public’s attention but was completely blown out of proportion — to the extent that there was never anything in court. There wasn’t a matter for me to handle other than to help him manage his image in the press.

After the allegations, Hammer was dropped from several film productions and pulled out of others himself. His ex-wife, Elizabeth Chambers, also filed for divorce shortly before the accusations became public.

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“I’m actually now at a place where I’m really grateful for it, because where I was in my life before all of that stuff happened to me, I didn’t feel good,” Hammer continued. “I never felt satisfied. I never had enough. I never was in a place where I was happy with myself, where I had self-esteem. I never knew how to give myself love.”

He added, “I never knew how to give myself self-validation, but I had this job where I was able to get it from so many people that I never had to learn how to give it to myself.”

Hammer also admitted that he contemplated suicide, revealing, “There were a lot of times when I thought I can’t take this anymore. I was getting hate… so it just went right in… there was a time. I was standing at the shore, and I swam out really far and just laying there… a half-assed suicide attempt. But I thought I couldn’t do that to my kids.”

If you or someone you know is the victim of sexual assault, contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network‘s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or dial 988. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.