When Armie Hammer was first accused of abusive behavior back in January, the news came as a shock to the actor’s biggest fans.
Throughout his career, Hammer’s public image had been that of the A-list movie star by day, devoted family man by night.
If there was anything unusual about him, media coverage of Armie usually suggested, it was that he had chosen to settle down with a wife and kids at a much younger age than most men in his position.
As we’ve learned in recent weeks, however, Hammer carefully maintained a facade that enabled him to live a terrfying double-life.
Several women have now come forward to claim that Hammer psychologically manipulated them and subjected to them physical and emotional abuse.
First, an anonymous Twitter user went public with screengrabs that exposed Hammer’s cannibalism fetish.
Before long others went public with disturbing details of their encounters with the actor.
One woman revealed that Hammer carved his initials into her flesh; another alleged that he sent her disturbing texts about treating her as a slave and devouring her.
Now, two of the most high-profile victims — college student Paige Lorenze and fashion designer Courtney Vucekovich — have come forward with further details of their time with Hammer.
“He told me that I couldn’t have anyone else in my bed,” Lorenze told People magazine this week.
“And then I just started to feel really unsafe and really sick to my stomach about things. I was also emotionally dependent on him.”
She added that she later ended their relationship via text because “you never know what you’re going to get with him—he’s kind of a scary person.”
Vucekovich says that Hammer pressured her into “a bondage scenario that I was not comfortable with.”
She adds that the she “eventually consented and really regretted doing so.”
The experience left her so upset that she checked into a treatment center for PTSD shortly thereafter.
Now, Hammer’s legal team is pushing back against these claims.
“All interactions between Mr. Hammer and his former partners were consensual. They were fully discussed, agreed upon in advance with his partners, and mutually participatory,” says a statement issued this week by Hammer’s lawyers.
“The stories perpetuated on social media were designed to be salacious in an effort to harm Mr. Hammer, but that does not make them true.”
The latest round of allegations comes on the heels of a lengthy Vanity Fair piece about the long history of scandal and deceit in Hammer’s family.
The article details decades of con jobs, infidelity, substance abuse and even murder dating back to Armie’s great-grandfather and his ties to Soviet Russia.
The history of the Hammer family is littered with the tragic stories of female victims, including Armie’s aunt, Casey, who endured sexual abuse and all manner of psychological torment dealt out bu her male relations.
Fortunately, Casey is speaking out, as is Armie’s estranged wife, Elizabeth Chambers.
“I support any victim of assault or abuse and urge anyone who has experienced this pain to seek the help she or he needs to heal,” Chambers said in a recent statement. “At this time, I will not be commenting further on this matter.
“My sole focus and attention will continue to be on our children, on my work and on healing during this incredibly difficult time,” Chambers added.
“Thank you for all of the love and support, and thank you in advance for your continued kindness, respect, and consideration for our children and me as we find ways to move forward.”
We’ll continue to provide updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.
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