Armie Hammer Breaks Silence on Allegations, Detailing His Own Abuse at the Hands of Youth Pastor

Armie Hammer has broken his silence regarding a series of accusations that upended his career two years ago, speaking to a writer for the newsletter Air Mail. Multiple women accused Hammer of abuse in 2021. In the fallout, his wife Elizabeth Chambers, from whom he had been separated, filed for divorce (though it has not been finalized), and he exited from multiple projects, including Shotgun Wedding and The Offer. In the new interview, Hammer describes his financial status as, “I am not only broke; I am massively in debt.”

In the interview, he says that, “I was an asshole, that I was selfish, that I used people to make me feel better, and when I was done, moved on,” and further acknowledged a power imbalance between himself, a famous actor, and a series of younger women, but he denies allegations of rape and sexual abuse. He claims that he and one accuser were engaged in acts of “consensual non-consent” activities, in which they role-played rape scenarios.

According to TMZ, the Los Angeles Police Department allegedly completed a nine-month investigation into a rape allegation against Hammer in December. (The LAPD did not respond to request for comment before deadline; this story will be updated in the event of a response.)

Two years ago, Julie Miller chronicled the allegations against Hammer as well as his family’s history of scandal and abuse, for Vanity Fair. Hammer’s aunt, Casey Hammer, recently appeared in a documentary, “House of Hammer,” on Discovery+, in which she details her own allegations of “multigenerational abuse.” 

The charges against Hammer and his family history “would make a captivating film,” writes James Kirchick for Airmail, “though a great deal of dramatic license would be necessary.”

In the Airmail interview, Hammer says that he was repeatedly sexually abused at the age of 13 by a youth pastor. He added that the experience “introduced sexuality into my life in a way that it was completely out of my control.” “I was powerless in the situation. I had no agency in the situation,” Hammer told Airmail. “My interests then went to: I want to have control in the situation, sexually.”

He said that he was suicidal when the accusations came out. “I just walked out into the ocean and swam out as far as I could and hoped that either I drowned,” he told Airmail, “or was hit by a boat, or eaten by a shark.” 

He compares his troubles to those of Robert Downey Jr., who reportedly helped Hammer pay for treatment following the accusations.  

“There’s examples of people who went through really difficult times and experienced what [the author] Joseph Campbell would call ‘the hero’s death.’ And the hero must die so the hero can be reborn again,” Hammer tells Airmail. “The minute anyone does anything wrong, they’re thrown away. There’s no chance for rehabilitation. There’s no chance for redemption. Someone makes a mistake, and we throw them away like a broken disposable camera. Robert and others are examples of what it looks like for a human being to experience pain and then growth. And that aspect of it is something that I aspire to.” (Downey did not comment to Airmail, nor did Hammer’s accusers. The story publicly names one of the women who has not yet been identified by other press. Vanity Fair has reached out to Downey for comment.)

Hammer says his career is collateral damage in a greater reckoning. “No one will hire me. No one will insure me. I can’t get bonded for a project—nothing,” the Man From U.N.C.L.E. actor said. “And no one will touch me because if they hire me, then they are the people who support abusers. And then they’re liable to get canceled themselves because this fire that is burning itself through town—when they throw someone like me on the fire to protect themselves, what they don’t realize is happening is all they’re doing is making the fire bigger. And that fire is now out of control and it’s going to burn everyone. And they’re just continually throwing people on it as sacrifices to protect themselves.”