Armie Hammer is addressing his controversial past. The 37-year-old — who was previously accused of harboring cannibalistic desires, committing sexual assault and more — appeared on the “Painful Lessons” podcast on Sunday, June 16, to reflect on his recovery and newfound peace. During the podcast episode, Armie noted that he is now “at a place in my life where I’m grateful for every single bit of it.”
“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,” the former actor explained to host Tyler Ramsey. “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.”
The Social Network star further pointed out that he “never knew how to give [himself] 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,” Hammer added, before admitting that he contemplated suicide. “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. … 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.”
Hammer shares his children, daughter Harper and son Ford, with his ex-wife, Elizabeth Chambers. The former spouses were married from 2010 to 2023. She filed for divorce from the Lone Ranger actor in 2020.
Hammer noted that the situation he was in was “an ego death, a career death,” describing it as a “neutron bomb” going off in his life.
In 2021, a woman named Effie accused Hammer of raping her in 2017. She revealed sexually graphic text messages allegedly sent by Hammer. In one message, the actor allegedly declared himself a cannibal, which he denied during his latest podcast appearance.
“People called me a cannibal, and everyone believed them,” he said on the podcast. “They’re like, ‘Yep, that guy ate people.’ 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.”
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
If you or anyone you know has been sexually abused, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). A trained staff member will provide confidential, judgment-free support as well as local resources to assist in healing, recovering and more.
