If you’ve been on the internet at all in the past month, you’re bound to have seen content about the actor Armie Hammer somewhere, whether it be his name trending on Twitter or in a news article. I’ll admit I had never heard of Hammer before he was trending last month, but the reason he was trending sure was interesting to me. He was trending due to allegations of cannibalism.
This is obviously not confirmed by any reputable source, and Hammer’s attorney said that “The stories being perpetuated in the media are a misguided attempt to present a one-sided narrative with the goal of tarnishing Mr. Hammer’s reputation.” Throughout the course of these claims being made, Hammer has stepped down from multiple movie projects he had been working on.
The circulation of the rumor started in mid-January when a woman leaked alleged DMs between her and Hammer where he talked about topics such as wanting to drink her blood and eat her, with one of the alleged DMs from Hammer stating “I am 100% a cannibal.”
Shortly after Hammer said he wasn’t “responding to these bullshit claims,” his ex-girlfriend Courtney Vucekovich shared that during their relationship Hammer had allegedly said “I want to take a bite out of you” to her and shared that if she “had a little cut on my hand, [Hammer would] like suck it or lick it.”
Then, in an interview with the Daily Mail, Hammer’s ex-girlfriend Paige Lorenze shared some allegations about Hammer’s behavior throughout their four-month-long relationship, including claims that Hammer branded her with his initials that she said was carved into her skin by Hammer during a sex game. She shared a photo of the A-shaped scar in the interview.
On Feb. 2, Hammer’s wife Elizabeth Chambers shared a statement on Instagram saying she was “shocked, heartbroken and devastated” by the allegations. She said, “I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know. I support any victim of assault or abuse and urge anyone who has experienced this pain to seek the help she or he needs to heal. At this time, I will not be commenting further on this matter.”
Then, on Feb. 4, the Daily Mail published texts and voice messages allegedly between Hammer and a friend, in which he allegedly discussed how the occurrence of several women alleging he was aggressive and abusive and fantasized about cannibalism left him feeling “a bit overwhelmed” and that it was “very invasive and shitty to get kink shamed by the internet.”
Then, on Feb. 6, Hammer was dropped by both his agency and publicist. Not a great look in the wake of all of these allegations, in my opinion.
Maybe the most bizarre part is that people are now making the speculation that he could be connected to a homicide. Human remains were found in the desert in Wonder Valley, California on January 31, not far from where Hammer allegedly worked at a construction site last year.
However, officials said Hammer has not been linked as a suspect in the case, and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Homicide Division told The Sun they have no plans to investigate him. So, as of now, these speculations made by internet users remain baseless.
While these allegations have been wild from start to finish, it’s likely this story has more to come as the year progresses. With so many internet sleuths and people interested in what exactly is going on with Armie Hammer, whether it be strange fetishes, abuse, or homicide, it seems highly unlikely this will become irrelevant as time passes.