American actor Armie Hammer is the latest guest to appear on Louis Theroux's podcast, marking one of his most wide-ranging interviews since multiple allegations of abuse were made against him in 2021. Naturally, the controversy surrounding the 38 year old was a prevalent theme throughout the episode, with cannibalism, his previous behaviour towards women, and his response to the allegations covered at length. As Armie prepares to make a big-screen comeback after three years, the accusations he faced have resurfaced.
Armie Hammer allegations: Efrosina 'Effie' Angelova
Armie's ex-girlfriend, Efrosina 'Effie' Angelova, first made claims about the film star via an anonymous Instagram account in January 2021, before revealing her identity two months later.
Effie - who had an off-off relationship with Armie between 2016 and 2020 - accused her former partner of physical abuse and violence, as well as raping her in 2017. At a press conference in 2021, Effie said that she tried to get away during the alleged rape, but Armie 'wouldn't let her'. She also asserted that she thought he was going to 'kill her'.
Effie published her purported experiences with Armie online, including alleged messages he sent her detailing his sadistic fantasies. In one chain, he supposedly refers to himself as a 'cannibal' who 'wants to eat her'. The thread also featured a message where he recalled, 'I've cut the heart out of a living animal before and eaten it still warm.' Armie was also said to have voiced his fantasy of them dying during sex.
After Effie branded him a 'monster', he is thought to have replied, 'A full-blown monster. I am the devil. And I love it.'
Armie denied the validity of the text messages, referring to them an 'online attack'. He also alleged his legal team were unsuccessful delivering a subpoena to Meta for messaging records related to the accusations.
Armie Hammer allegations: Courtney Vucekovich
More women came forward following Effie's claims. Another ex-girlfriend of Armie's, Courtney Vucekovich, claims that he told her he'd 'break her rib and barbecue and eat it'. She added, 'He did some things with me that I wasn’t comfortable with. For God knows what reason, he convinced me that these things were okay and he put me in some dangerous situations where I was not okay, where he was heavily drinking, and I wasn’t drinking that way and it scared me. I didn’t feel comfortable.'
Courtney claims that she attended therapy for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). She told Page Six, 'Therapy is really helpful after healing from any kind of abuse. You don’t want to take that trauma with you.'
Armie Hammer allegations: Paige Lorenze
Speaking to Page Six, Armie's former partner Paige Lorenze - who he dated for four months - detailed how they would engage in 'knife play', adding, 'He would cut off underwear or bras and use the knife and put it all over my body'. He allegedly carved the letter 'A' near her vagina.
'I kind of sat back and let it happen,' she said. 'I didn’t really know what to do or say … As sad as that is, I wanted him to like me and feel like I was down for what he wanted.'
Paige later said, 'He wanted me to be his sex slave. He was like, "You are so trainable".'
Armie's former girlfriend also alleged that he would 'leave her with bruises', which she believed he wanted her to 'show off and be proud of'.
Armie Hammer allegations: His response
In the wake of the damning allegations, Armie's legal team released this statement: 'These assertions about Mr Hammer are patently untrue. Any interactions with this person, or any partner of his, were completely consensual in that they were fully discussed, agreed upon, and mutually participatory. The stories being perpetuated in the media are a misguided attempt to present a one-sided narrative with the goal of tarnishing Mr. Hammer’s reputation, and communications from the individuals involved prove that.'
Meanwhile, Armie - who is father to Harper, 10, and Ford, eight, with ex-wife Elizabeth Chambers - stepped away from the film Shotgun Wedding amid the scandal. He said, 'I’m not responding to these bulls**t claims but in light of the vicious and spurious online attacks against me, I cannot in good conscience now leave my children for four months to shoot a film in the Dominican Republic. Lionsgate is supporting me in this and I’m grateful to them for that.'
In March 2021, the LAPD launched an investigation into the allegations, but they concluded in a report released two years later that there was 'insufficient evidence to charge Mr Hammer with a crime' because of the 'complexity' of the relationship between him and an unnamed woman.
Armie wrote on Instagram following the outcome: 'I am very grateful to the District Attorney for conducting a thorough investigation and coming to the conclusion that I have stood by this entire time, that no crime was committed.'
He added, '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.'
During his appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast, Armie doubled down on his denial of claims regarding cannibalism and sexual abuse, and says he did not eat an animal's heart.
He also denied criminal behaviour, stating, 'I left a lot of people in that wake very angry at me for my behaviour… A**hole behaviour. There’s no way around that… Does it make me a d**k? Absolutely. Like, I, have no problem admitting that. I was a dick. That’s not illegal.'
Millie Payne is a News and Entertainment Writer for Grazia. She has specialised in showbiz interviews, features, articles and roundups for over three years and loves combining her love for writing, talking and all things popular culture.