Armie Hammer launches podcast addressing allegations of sexual misconduct

Poor Hammer is stepping back into the spotlight with a new podcast, nearly four years after his career was derailed by allegations of sexual misconduct.

The controversial actor, 38, announced the launch of The Armie HammerTime Podcast in an Instagram post Mondayand called it a diary of sorts, or a “chronicle of getting my life back on track” after a lengthy absence from Hollywood.

“Some of you are going to love this, and some of you are going to hate it,” Hammer said, promising long conversations with a rotation of guests.

The opening episode contains a conversation with an actor and comedian Tom Arnold and delves into both host and guest’s experiences with addiction, rehabilitation, the impact of fame and the journey of rebuilding one’s career after setbacks.

Hammer’s problems started in early 2021 when allegations surfaced online that he sent disturbing messages to several women on social media saying they had had a sexual relationship with him. Messages supposedly sent by Hammer expressed BDSM and cannibalistic desires; he called the accusations “bulls…”. Hammer was also accused of rape and other violent crimes by a woman named Effie, which led to a police investigation ultimately dropped due to “insufficient evidence”.

Hammer has maintained that all of his sexual relationships were consensual, although he did admitted to emotional abuse towards some former partners and that there was a balance of power. The actor was dropped by his talent agency and publicist following the allegations leave a number by acting projects.

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In his debut podcast episode, Hammer invites Arnold to ask him anything, and Arnold does so by inquiring about “when the s— hit the fan” and Hammer’s career imploded. “When your agency dropped you off, was that a phone call?” Arnold wonders. “How was that?”

“I remember the s— hitting the fan,” Hammer replies. “It was gradual. At first it was little bits of s—, and then it was the whole thing. The little bits of s— were, ‘There’s someone online saying stuff about your abuse. It’s starting to pick up traction. Do you know who this person is?’”

Hammer continues: “Once the rape thing stopped, the s— hit the fan so hard,” recalling how PR firms were called in in crisis situations. Hammer says he was “completely silent” during that time at his attorney’s insistence. who told him to keep quiet during the criminal investigation. “I wasn’t going to do anything to make this worse,” Hammer said.

It was “super hard” to keep quiet, Hammer claims. He also speaks of the initial “resentment” he felt toward those who distanced themselves from him in the midst of the controversy, recalling, “Everyone called me and said, ‘I’ve known you since you were 19 years old.’ You are not this man. We know it’s not you.’”

That was cold comfort, Hammer says: “In my head I would say, ‘Fine, yeah, thanks for the call, but don’t call me with that. Say something about this, because no one is stopping this and it’s just a train pulling away.'” But a conversation with a pot farmer changed his perspective: “He says, ‘You set your house on fire and your house burns to the ground , and now you want your friends to end up on a burning train” house with you?”

Elsewhere in the conversation Arnold jokes that “the cannibalism” is his “favorite” part of the scandal.

“It’s wild,” Hammer replies, grinning. He adds, “I’m not going to lie, I kind of like the cannibal thing now.”