Armie Hammer denies cannibalism claims in Louis Theroux interview

The Guardian

11-02-2025

Armie Hammer has repeated his denial of claims that he is a cannibal and that he sexually abused a number of women.
The actor was speaking on the Louis Theroux Podcast on Spotify, and responded to Theroux's direct question: 'Are you a cannibal?' Hammer replied: 'You know what you have to do to actually be a cannibal? You have to actually eat human flesh. So no.'
Hammer was accused of rape and physically abusive behaviour in 2021 by a woman, known as Effie, who claimed he raped her in 2017, and shared screenshots of graphic texts allegedly sent by Hammer, which included one where the actor appeared to declare himself a cannibal. At least two other women subsequently came forward with accusations of sexual coercion and emotional abuse from Hammer between 2017 and 2020, including ex-girlfriend Paige Lorenze.
Authorities in LA county declined to pursue sexual assault charges against Hammer, and he previously denied the claims in an interview with Tyler Ramsey in 2024.
Hammer told Theroux that he is 'not going to argue the messages' but that they formed 'one side of a conversation', and that 'it [was] fun to joke about if I was stoned or drunk or like laughing as I was typing these messages'.
Hammer also denied that he ate an animal's entire heart, saying: 'You take a bite out of the heart, and you've got all your buddies around you, they're goading you on … it's sort of like an almost overly charged male rite of passage when you go hunting for your first time. Everyone that I know who went hunting for their first time had to do something similar.'
The actor denied that his behaviour was criminal: 'I left a lot of people in that wake very angry at me for my behaviour … Asshole behaviour. There's no way around that … Does it make me a dick? Absolutely. Like, I, I have no problem admitting that. I was a dick. That's not illegal.'
Hammer said that after the scandal erupted and much of his acting work was cancelled, he entered a 'trauma treatment facility' which he described as 'one of the most helpful things that I've ever done for myself'. He said that more acting work was coming his way, having just completed a film in the US and with 'offers coming in every week'.
He also said that he 'loved' his short-term job selling timeshares in the Cayman Islands and that he also held down jobs as a school greenskeeper and an apartment block manager. 'I was at the point in my life where, like, things were so bleak that having anything to do felt amazing.' However, he says he was denied a work visa by the Caymans and is unable to live there permanently.
Hammer was also asked by Theroux whether, if he was offered a role, would he work with Woody Allen. The actor replied: 'If I say, 'no, I would never work with Woody Allen', then all I'm doing is saying, 'I believe in this system that cancels people.' I think what I would honestly do is I'd say, I'd like to sit down with him first, and I'd like to talk to him.'
Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html