Armie Hammer has denied the rumors that his friend Robert Downey Jr. paid for him to go to rehab three years ago. Hammer reportedly spent six months in treatment after his life was upended by sexual assault allegations and claims he has a cannibalism fetish. Downey, whose own career went up in flames as a result of addiction before his successful comeback, was said to have bankrolled the rehab stint, per Vanity Fair. Now, however, Hammer, 37, has set the record straight during a bombshell new interview with Piers Morgan about his scandal. ‘No, he did not. He did not pay for me to go to rehab,’ said Hammer, explaining that he had ‘recreationally’ indulged in substances like cocaine and ecstasy but had been ‘addicted to escapism’ more than to any drug. When Morgan asked whether Downey had been ‘supportive’ of him when he became persona non grata, Hammer said: ‘Yes,’ but was hesitant to provide details. ‘I don’t want to bring anyone else into my situation. There are a number of people who have been extremely helpful and I’m incredibly grateful,’ he said. Downey helped him ‘in the way where anyone in Hollywood who suffers from any sort of addiction issues, whether it be alcohol or process addiction or drugs, decides to get sober, that guy will find you, and he will help you,’ said Hammer. ‘It’s amazing.’
Hammer also revealed the advice that Downey gave him during his Hollywood exile: ‘Sit down. Shut up. Everything’s gonna be okay.’ After rehab, Hammer allegedly holed up at a Los Angeles home owned by Downey while attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, according to Variety. During the shocking interview that aired this Friday, Morgan asked Hammer point-blank whether he is in fact a cannibal. The Call Me By Your Name star has been away from the spotlight since 2021 when allegations emerged of sexual assault and cannibalism emerged. Hammer told Morgan that the allegations stemmed consensual sex acts and kinky role playing. When asked if he is in fact a cannibal, Hammer responded: ‘You know what you have to do to be a cannibal? You have to have actually eaten somebody.’ The actor confirmed that he had not eaten anyone. He did admit to once tracing his initials into the thigh of ex-girlfriend Paige Lorenze but denied it was an attempt to brand her: ‘There wasn’t even any blood,’ he contends.
Hammer confirmed to Morgan that he did cheat on his ex-wife, Elizabeth Chambers, during their marriage before it fell apart in July 2020. Hammer also spoke about his relationship with Effie Angelova, who has accused him of sexual assault. He called their relationship a ‘very intense affair, very sexuality charged, between two people with very similar proclivities and kinks.’ During that segment, Hammer conceded that out of context, their conversations would seem troubling. ‘Any of those conversations that we had inside of that relationship, when you take them outside of that context and put them into broad daylight, it doesn’t look so good.’ Hammer said that Angelova was more experienced in the world of kink than he was. ‘Different people have different sexual fantasies. And there’s a very broad spectrum of sexuality, and people are allowed to engage with their own sexuality however it fits them and what they do.’
In another shocking section of the interview, Hammer spoke about putting his initials on his then-girlfriend, Lorenze. ‘There was a scenario that we talked about beforehand, that we had discussed where, you know, I would basically take a little, tiny point and just kind of trace the letter ‘A’ – just like the tip of a small knife.’ ‘I mean, there wasn’t even blood in the situation. It was more like a scrape… It’s along the lines of couples getting their own initials tattooed on each other,’ he continued. Morgan joked that the action was a bit different to getting a tattoo which Hammer and added that he was ‘shocked’ by the revelation.
Hammer has consistently maintained his innocence when faced with allegations of rape and other abuse of women. His lawyers continue to claim that all of his relationships were consensual. Last year, Hammer and Chambers reached a divorce agreement, three years after filing. The settlement came just weeks after LA County prosecutors declined to charge Hammer in an investigation stemming from a woman’s allegation that he sexually assaulted her in 2017. They cited a lack of evidence to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. Hammer said on Instagram that after a long public silence that ‘I look forward to beginning what will be a long, difficult process of putting my life back together now that my name has been cleared.’
Chambers, 40, is a television personality who has had shows on the Food Network and the Cooking Channel. The two began dating in 2007 and married in 201
