Armie Hammer has finally spoken out about being accused of cannibalism.
The actor, 37, appeared on the June 16 episode of the “Painful Lessons” podcast and addressed the “bizarre” accusations, years after some of his accusers shared alleged messages from Hammer in which he detailed sexual fetishes and a desire to eat their flesh.
“There were things that people were saying about me that just felt so outlandish. That I was a cannibal,” Hammer said on the podcast.
“Now, I’m able to sort of look at it with a sense of distance and perspective and be like. ‘That’s hilarious,’ ” he continued. “People called me a cannibal and everyone believed them. 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.”
The “Call Me By Your Name” star said that he now feels “grateful” and has “self-esteem.”
“Whatever it was that happened, I’m now at a place in my life where I’m grateful for every single bit of it,” he said. “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. 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. 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.”
In addition to the cannibal claims, Hammer was also accused of sexual assault and emotional abuse, which led to his downfall in Hollywood.
However, no charges were filed against Hammer following an investigation led by the Los Angeles Police Department.
Hammer has denied criminal wrongdoing.
On the “Painful Lessons” podcast, Hammer reflected on how the accusations caused “an ego death” and “a career death.”
“It’s almost like a neutron bomb went off in my life. It killed me, it killed my ego, it killed all the people around me that I thought were my friends that weren’t — all of those people, in a flash, went away. But the buildings were still standing. I’m still here, I still have my health, and I’m really grateful for that.”
Hammer, who hasn’t been in a movie since 2022’s “Death on the Nile,” also said that his career as an actor is “nowhere” because he’s “not a viable commodity” in Hollywood after the accusations. However, he did claim that he’s writing a script with a friend.
In 2021, the “Social Network” star’s former girlfriend Effie Angelova accused him of “violently” raping her and abusing her “mentally, emotionally and sexually” in 2017.
Multiple other women came forward claiming to have been sexually assaulted and mistreated by Hammer — including one woman who claimed he tied her up and told her he wanted to “break my rib and barbecue and eat it.”
The accusations against Hammer were explored in the 2022 Discovery+ docuseries “House of Hammer.”
Hammer called the allegations “bulls – – t,” citing “vicious and spurious online attacks” at the time.
He was subsequently dumped from a series of high-profile projects following the accusations — including “Shotgun Wedding” with Jennifer Lopez and the Broadway play “The Minutes.” He was also dropped by his agency, WME.
In 2023, Hammer revealed that he came close to killing himself after the scandal.
“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,” Hammer told Air Mail in Feb. 2023. “Then I realized that my kids were still on shore, and that I couldn’t do that to my kids.”
Hammer has two children with his ex-wife Elizabeth Chambers. They were married in 2010 and split up in July 2020.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.