Why Armie Hammer Is 'Grateful' For The Cannibalism Allegations That Ruined His Hollywood Career

Hollywood actor Armie Hammer has finally broken his silence on the disturbing cannibalism and sexual assault accusations that have haunted him for years.

The controversial claims, which first surfaced in 2021 after two of his former girlfriends made them, saw his meteoric rise on the silver screen implode.

Hammer has now spoken about the allegations, saying he's grateful for the experience, even though he seemingly denied having anything to do with them.

The actor, Armie Hammer also spoke about his struggles with suicide, noting that he almost took his life but couldn't do it because of his kids.

The "Nocturnal Animals" actor was transitioning into a household name before several shocking claims from two of his former girlfriends, bordering on sexual assault allegations and his having cannibalism fantasies, sent his acting career into a downward spiral.

During a Sunday appearance on the "Painful Lessons" podcast, Hammer weighed in on the allegations that he has cannibalism fantasies.

"People called me a cannibal, and everyone believed them," he said, per Page Six. "They're like, 'Yep, that guy ate people.' Like, what? What are you talking about? Do you know what you have to do to be a cannibal? You have to eat people! How am I going to be a cannibal?! It was bizarre."

In the podcast, Hammer expressed his gratitude for the allegations, noting that they came at a time of his struggle.

He said there were "discrepancies in whatever it was that people said," adding that he's "now at a place in my life where I'm grateful for every single bit of it."

"I'm actually now at a place where I'm really grateful for it because where I was in my life before all of that stuff happened to me I didn't feel good I never felt satisfied, I never had enough, I never was in a place where I was happy with myself where I had self-esteem," Hammer explained.

Hammer's public image was tainted with several shocking allegations made by his former partners.

According to Page Six, one of them, Effie Angelova, accused him in 2021 of "violently" raping her and abusing her "mentally, emotionally and sexually" in 2017 when she was 20 years old, while his former partner, Courtney Vucekovich, also claimed in 2021 that he told her "he wants to break my rib and barbecue and eat it."

He has since denied Angelova's allegations, saying he committed no criminal wrongdoing during their four-year relationship.

Hammer also disclosed that the allegations and the public scrutiny that arose after made him struggle with his self-esteem.

"I never knew how to give myself love. I never knew how to give myself self-validation, but I had this job where I was able to get it from so many people that I never had to learn how to give it to myself," he explained.

Elsewhere, in his appearance on the "Painful Lessons" podcast, the "Lone Ranger" actor disclosed his struggles with suicide, especially in the aftermath of his divorce.

Hammer's then-wife, Elizabeth Chambers, filed for divorce in July 2020 after the allegations surfaced.

"It was an ego death, a career death. A neutron bomb went off in my life. It killed off [everything]," he said, adding that he was feeling suicidal at the time.

Hammer continued, "There were a lot of times when I thought I can't take this anymore. I was getting hate…so it just went right in… there was a time."

"I was standing at the shore, and I swam out really far and just laying there..a half-assed suicide attempt…But I thought I couldn't do that to my kids," he added.

The actor also revealed on the podcast that after the whole saga, he entered a program to seek medical attention after he "hit rock bottom" following his "career death," per People magazine.

Likening the allegations to a "neutron bomb that went off in my life," he disclosed that he's seemingly working on creating his "own sandbox" by writing a screenplay in a bid to ignite an acting comeback.

"It killed me. It killed my ego. It killed all the people around me that I thought were my friends that weren't. All of those people in a flash went away, but the buildings were still standing. I'm still here. I still have my health, and I'm really grateful for that," Hammer shared.