Armie Hammer will always be associated with cannibalism. But there's more to the story.

It's undeniable that the name Armie Hammer will probably always be associated with the joke 'wait, isn't that guy a cannibal?'

Back in 2021, the celebrity world spiralled when it came out that the Call Me by Your Name actor had sent graphic text messages to various women admitting to a host of cannibalistic fantasies. 

Three years on from the controversy, Hammer has given a rare TV interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored.

The interview was wide-ranging in its scope of topics but the clip that's gone the most viral across X, Instagram and TikTok has been the moment the divisive British host asked Hammer: "First of all, address that elephant in the room. Are you a cannibal?"

Hammer didn't miss a beat. This isn't just a question he expected to be asked, it's likely a question he wanted to be asked.

"You know what you have to do to be a cannibal? You have to have actually eaten somebody," Hammer smirked back. 

Piers went on to question why he had texted 'I'm 100% a cannibal" to another women, persisting "Have you ever eaten human flesh?" 

Armie continued to smugly joke that this was "Not a question I thought I'd have to answer, by the way."

In the clip, Hammer goes on to reason why he can't be a cannibal while minimising the violent nature of his texts.

@piersmorganuncensored #armiehammer addresses those allegations with #PiersMorgan #trending #interview #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound - piersmorganuncensored

"Different people have different sexual fantasies," Armie admitted before downplaying his cannibalistic messages. 

"I don't think that's any different than when someone looks at a baby and goes, 'Oh my God, look at those cute little fat legs, I just want to eat you up'."

From this straight-up bizarre dialogue between two extremely famous men, the conversation has already shifted away from the seriousness of the allegations against Hammer to the supposed silliness of the cannibalism claims. 

And the dominating storyline to emerge from the interview? Armie Hammer denies being a cannibal. 

A quick Google of the interview — without including the word 'cannibal' — renders a flurry of articles about the cannibalism claims:

"Armie Hammer declares he is not a cannibal and says he's 'never eaten anyone'," read a headline in The Mirror UK.

"Armie Hammer declare he’s not a cannibal: 'You have to have actually eaten somebody'," wrote Yahoo! News.

"Never eaten human flesh: Armie Hammer tells Piers Morgan on cannibalism accusation," published MSN. 

This narrative is working perfectly for what Hammer is likely trying to do: salvage his acting career, which, at one point, made him one of the most sought after leading men in Hollywood.

Accusations of cannibalism are not something that many would genuinely believe. Being a cannibal does not mean you text about eating people, you have to actually consume human flesh. 

When it comes to cannibals in pop culture, there are serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer, or fictional characters like Hannibal Lector. They don't look half as normal (or handsome) as Hammer — and the actor knows it. 

It's a binary question — you are or you aren't a cannibal — which makes the suggestion something easily rejected.

But the other allegations against Hammer are far more complicated and egregious. In 2021, the actor was accused of rape, physical abuse and sexual coercion.

Most people's idea of a cannibal is one of sensationalist fiction. 

Beginning in January 2021, an Instagram account named House of Effie anonymously shared allegations against the actor, which was the public's first brush with Hammer's text messages of cannibalistic fantasies that would overshadow basically every other disturbing allegation.

In a press conference in March 2021, Effie accused the actor of sexual assault during a 2017 incident and claimed he had "mentally, emotionally and sexually," abused her throughout their on-and-off four-year relationship.

At the time Hammer's lawyer Andrew Brettler denied the rape allegation and said the actor's relationship with Effie was "completely consensual, discussed and agreed upon in advance, and mutually participatory," he told People. 

In response to the Piers Morgan interview, Effie posted "Really?" on X, alongside a snapshot of some of the threatening messages she said she received from the actor during their relationship. 

Really ? https://t.co/P9VxmcyGYQ pic.twitter.com/teEavcipWS

— Effie 🪷 (@houseofeffie) July 19, 2024

Off the back of Effie's allegations, at least two other women came forward with similar claims of sexual coercion and emotional abuse from Hammer in the years between 2017 and 2020.

In response to the allegations, Hammer was dropped from his talent agency. He exited upcoming films and projects, including Shotgun Wedding, The Godfather spin-off series The Offer, Billion Dollar Spy and the Broadway production of The Minutes.

Despite already filming, his role in Taika Waititi film Next Goal Wins had been reshot with Will Arnett replacing him.

Perhaps most damaging of all, the slated sequel to Call Me By Your Name was suddenly off the table.  

Almost a month after the allegations against Hammer surfaced, his ex-wife Elizabeth Chambers spoke in solidarity with victims. 

"For weeks, I've been trying to process everything that has transpired. I am shocked, heartbroken, and devastated. Heartbreak aside, I am listening, and will continue to listen and educate myself on these delicate matters. I didn't realise how much I didn't know," Chambers wrote on Instagram.

"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." 

Then came the documentary, as Discovery+ released a three-part docuseries House of Hammer, which examined some dark moments from the Hammer family's past, along with speaking to the actor's alleged victims.

Some of the most disturbing allegations came from Courtney Vucekovich, who claimed that she dated Hammer from late 2019 to September 2020.

Courtney Vucekovich made disturbing claims in House of Hammer. Image: Discovery. 

She relayed the story of Hammer turning up at her home in Dallas unannounced even before they had met. "At this point, we've never spent time together," she recalled. "It was weird. I remember being like, 'Are we flirting, or is this scary?'" 

When she returned home, she claims Armie left a note that read: "I'm going to bite the f**k out of you."

The pair took a trip together where Vucekovich claims that the actor crossed the line of consent but wouldn't specify what had transpired. 

"The situation that happened... it's something you speak about before it's done," she shared. "And we didn't speak about this. It was something that has never been done to me. It is something that's very degrading, very belittling, and I just don't, I don't like to, I don't want to put it out there."

Vucekovich said their relationship left her with injuries on her body. "I would have, like, hand marks that would stay on my body," she claimed. "He bites really hard and he tells you to wear them like a badge of honor."

In April 2023, CNN reported that the Social Network actor was being investigated by the LAPD over claims of sexual assault. A month later, the LAPD said Hammer wouldn't face the charges.

The director of the bureau of communications, Tiffiny Blacknell, stated that "sexual assault cases are often difficult to prove, which is why we assign our most experienced prosecutors to review them. In this case, those prosecutors conducted an extremely thorough review, but determined that at this time, there is insufficient evidence to charge Mr. Hammer with a crime." 

Seven months later in November 2023, Armie returned to Instagram. Then by 2024, he started something of a redemption tour. 

In June of this year, he spoke with the podcast Painful Lessons about the lessons he's learnt, why he initially escaped to the Cayman Islands and his experiences feeling suicidal after the backlash.

@painfullessonspodcast Armie Hammer is our guest on the Painful Lessons podcast. His first time speaking in four years. More clips coming. Full episode out now. #armiehammer #podcast #painfullessons #podcastclips #podcastshow #interviews #armie #painfullessonspodcast #personalgrowth ♬ original sound - Painful Lessons

"Whatever it was that people said, whatever it was that happened, I’m now at a place in my life where I’m grateful for every single bit of it," Hammer said.

Once again, he took the chance to poke fun at the cannibalism rumours. "People called me a cannibal and everyone believed them," Hammer said. 

"Now I’m able to sort of look at it with a sense of distance and perspective and be like, ‘That’s hilarious’. They were like, 'Yep, that guy ate people.' Like, what? What are you talking about?".  

It looks likely that Hammer will have the chance to reprise his most critically acclaimed role to date. 

Call Me By Your Name's sequel is back in the works, according to the film's director Luca Guadagnino. Hammer revealed in the Morgan interview that Guadagnino was one of the few who had remained loyal to him throughout the years on controversies. 

Based on the second book, the sequel will have Oliver (Hammer) and Elio (Timothée Chalamet) travelling the world together, with both actors rumoured to be returning. 

One thing is for sure that if the worst thing you can call Armie Hammer is a cannibal, this is better than the alternative.

Feature image: TalkTV.