Armie Hammer says getting “canceled” by Hollywood has been “incredibly liberating.”
The “Social Network” actor famously vanished from the spotlight after multiple accusations of sexual abuse and messages suggesting a cannibalism fetish emerged in 2021. Hammer reportedly transitioned to selling timeshares in the Cayman Islands — and claims “it’s great.”
“Dude, it’s incredibly liberating,” Hammer said on the latest episode of Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast. “Because so much of my life leading up to there, it was two things: It was being preoccupied with how I was perceived, which now you don’t have to care about.”
“Once everyone just decides that they hate you, you go, ‘Oh, well then I don’t need anything from you people anyway, I guess I should just learn to be content with myself,’” he continued. “And then you go do that, and it feels fucking amazing.”
The 37-year-old father of two was first accused of fantasizing about cannibalism and rape when his alleged direct messages leaked in January 2021. Several allegations followed, including one from a woman in March 2021 who accused Hammer of “violently” raping her in 2017.
Hammer, who denied these allegations at the time, told Maher that he was “under the sword of Damocles, legally speaking, for two and a half years.” In March 2023, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office concluded there wasn’t enough evidence to charge him.
“They went through phones, emails, eyewitness reports,” Hammer said on the podcast. “They investigated me for two and a half years, in a time where if they could have nailed someone like me, it would have been such a boon for the LAPD.”
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The actor, who settled his divorce with ex-wife Elizabeth Chambers last year, told Maher he “used” women to “feel better” with disregard to “their emotions and their well-being” — and claimed his death would’ve been the only outcome if his behavior hadn’t been exposed.
Hammer added that he’s been sober and in therapy ever since.
When asked why he didn’t borrow from his oil family fortune during the height of his financial straits, meanwhile, Hammer said he’s learned that “there are no free lunches” when getting a favor “with strings” attached.
Hammer, whose career included Oscar-winning films and a Golden Globe nomination, voluntarily exited a Jennifer Lopez rom-com when the scandal broke. He called the allegations “bullshit” at the time and, in 2023, admitted to mere “selfish” behavior.
Hammer said he previously “needed” the public to understand his perspective, but that “when anybody says anything” to him about the scandal these days, he simply responds: “OK, I don’t care. Your opinion is yours, and you’re allowed to have it, I just don’t agree.”
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.