In a recent interview, actor Armie Hammer opened up about his tumultuous journey over the past few years, marked by allegations of sexual misconduct, emotional abuse, and bizarre cannibalism rumours. Speaking on the Painful Lessons podcast, the 37-year-old reflected on the intense scrutiny and personal turmoil he has faced since the accusations first emerged in 2021.

Hammer expressed a surprising sense of gratitude for the ordeal, stating: “Whatever it was that people said, whatever it was that happened, I’m now at a place in my life where I’m grateful for every single bit of it.” This perspective marks a significant shift for the actor, who has been largely absent from the public eye since the allegations surfaced.

In 2021, a woman named Effie accused The Call Me By Your Name actor—who Hammer featured in alongside Timothée Chalamet—of rape and physical abuse, claiming that he assaulted her in 2017. She shared graphic text messages purportedly from Hammer, which included disturbing references to cannibalism. Shortly after, Effie’s allegations prompted other women to come forward with similar stories of sexual coercion and emotional manipulation by Hammer between 2017 and 2020. One of his former girlfriends described an extreme relationship, confessing to Page Six that Hammer made unsettling comments like: “I want to eat your ribs.”

Not surprisingly, following the allegations, Hammer experienced a complete expulsion from the Hollywood scene, leading him to retreat into relative obscurity. Rumours circulated about him working as a hotel concierge in the Caribbean, and there were even whispers that he was selling timeshares in the Cayman Islands. The true nature of his activities during this period remains uncertain…

However, despite the serious nature of these allegations, last year, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office announced it would not pursue charges against Hammer regarding Effie’s allegations, citing the complexity of the relationship between the woman and the actor, and stating they were “unable to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Hammer has consistently denied any criminal wrongdoing. He maintained that his relationships with the women were consensual, though he acknowledged that the “power dynamics were off.”

Nonetheless, during his recent appearance on Painful Lessons, Hammer addressed the cannibalism rumours with a mix of incredulity and humour. “People called me a cannibal and everyone believed them,” he said. “Now I’m able to sort of look at it with a sense of distance and perspective and be like, ‘That’s hilarious.’ They were like, ‘Yep, that guy ate people.’ Like, what? What are you talking about? You know what you have to do to be a cannibal? You have to eat people! It was bizarre.”

Reflecting on the initial impact of the allegations, Hammer described it as an “ego death” and a “career death,” comparing it to a neutron bomb that wiped out everything in his life. Before the scandal, Hammer admitted he did not feel satisfied or good about himself, relying heavily on his acting career for validation. However, he now claims to have found a new sense of perspective and resilience.

Hammer also opened up about his mental health struggles, revealing that he had felt suicidal during the height of the controversy. He recounted a particularly dark moment in the Cayman Islands, where he retreated after the public backlash. “There were a lot of times when I thought, ‘I can’t take this anymore,’” he said. “I was standing on the shore and I just looked out at the ocean and thought, ‘Yep, this is it,’ and I just swam out really far, and was just laying there [in] a half-assed suicide attempt. [But I thought] I can’t do that to my kids.”

Since then, the actor has worked on rebuilding his life. He and his ex-wife, Elizabeth Chambers, divorced in July 2020, and they share two young children. His Hollywood career, however, remains in limbo. Hammer acknowledged that his career is currently “nowhere,” but he expressed plans to write a screenplay.