Armie Hammer Abuse Allegations, Family Scandals Will Be Focus Of True-Crime Special

A new ID and Discovery+ special promises to examine “the dark, twisted legacy of the Hammer family dynasty" over five generations.
Armie Hammer attends the 2020 E! People's Choice Awards.
Armie Hammer attends the 2020 E! People's Choice Awards.
Todd Williamson/E! Entertainment via Getty Images

One project Armie Hammer won’t be dropping out of following last year’s wave of bizarre cannibalism and abuse claims is an upcoming true-crime documentary special.

The downfall of the controversial “Call Me By Your Name” star will be the focus of a special that promises it also will examine “the dark, twisted legacy of the Hammer family dynasty.”

Launching later this year as part of a new slate of specials from ID and Discovery+, “House of Hammer” will take a true-crime lens to five generations of men in the actor’s family, who the logline says “have more secrets and scandals than any vault can contain.”

“Debauchery. Deceit. Abuse. Addiction. Corruption,” the press release says. “Armie Hammer’s alleged crimes are only the tip of the iceberg. Through a trove of archive and interviews from survivors and family members, the dark and twisted secrets of the Hammer family come to light. Behind the money and power lies a dysfunctional dynasty with its male characters exhibiting all the devastating consequences of privilege gone wild.”

Hammer’s career went into a tailspin in January 2021 amid abuse accusations from multiple women who shared disturbing text messages detailing violent sexual acts, including rape and cannibalism.

The actor has since been accused of rape and physical abuse by a woman with whom he had been in a relationship. Hammer has vehemently denied the accusations.

The backlash resulted in Hammer being dropped by his talent agency and exiting a handful of high-profile projects, including a role alongside Jennifer Lopez in the upcoming rom-com “Shotgun Wedding” and the Paramount+ series “The Offer.”

In a statement to Variety at the time, Hammer said: “I’m not responding to these bullshit 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.”

Hammer has since been treated for drug, alcohol and sex issues at a Florida facility as he reportedly attempts to rebuild his relationship with ex-wife Elizabeth Chambers, who split from the actor after 10 years of marriage months before the allegations came to light. The former couple share two children together.

As for the actor’s family, Vanity Fair published a deep dive into generations of Hammer men, who the magazine said have a “long and sordid history with drugs, sex, dysfunction and betrayal.” The feature revealed that the movie star’s great-grandfather, from whom he gets his name, was reportedly involved in funding Soviet espionage and the Watergate coverup, and that his grandfather killed a man in 1955 and was accused of sexual assault by his daughter.

ID and Discovery+’s slate also includes specials that will examine the Menendez brothers’ murder trial, the feud between Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, Mary Kay Letourneau’s illicit student-teacher relationship, and the disappearance and death of Gabby Petito.

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