In January 2021, the Armie Hammer cannibalism scandal broke out. An anonymous Instagram account named House of Effie leaked a series of DMs that included audio conversations with the actor where they were talking about his cannibalistic fetish and kink for sexual sadism. Other women have come forward following the release of the private messages.
The gossip site Deux Moi also claimed that the Call Me by Your Name star had a group chat with his friends where he non-consensually shared intimate videos of his partners. The blog added that Hammer disregarded safe words and constantly threatened his partners.
In March 2021, the Los Angeles Police Department started an investigation on the actor after his ex-girlfriend, who also goes by the name Effie, accused him of rape. The 24-year-old said: "On April 24, 2017, Armie Hammer violently raped me for over four hours in Los Angeles, during which he repeatedly slapped my head against a wall, bruising my face. He also committed other acts of violence against me to which I did not consent."
Effie’s lawyer, Gloria Allred has refused to deny or confirm whether the Instagram account belongs to her client. But fans have always believed that Effie is running the page herself. In the last months, fans have also discovered several inconsistencies in both the leaked DMs and the rape accusations — raising concerns about a possible case of defamation like that of Johnny Depp's. Here are a few of them.
They Say The Timeline Of The Alleged Incident Doesn't Add Up
In March 2017, Screen Rant published an article with the title: "Armie Hammer: Shoulder Injury Isn't a Deal Breaker for Green Lantern Casting." The Rebecca star was quoted saying: "I'm okay now. I'm in physical therapy. I have another month of that." In an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on April 12, 2017, Hammer shared the details of how he "tore [his] pectoral muscle." This was about 2 weeks prior to the alleged rape.
"Right before she was supposed to have the baby, I tore my pectoral muscle completely off my skeleton," the actor said about getting injured just four days before his then-wife, Elizabeth Chambers, gave birth to their son. "I was in the gym with my brother-in-law, John, we were just working out. Basically, what happened is I tore my pectoral muscle. They went in and they opened it up and they go, 'Your muscle is frayed. You don't live very gently, do you?' I was like, 'No, I've never been accused of that."
9 days before the alleged assault, Hammer also said on Instagram that he was still recovering from the surgery he had due to the injury. "So, I'm walking around my house — really kind of hobbling — and my arm doesn't work. It's really kind of a sad thing," he said about the time Chambers ordered him to get the surgery. This was mid-January. "And my wife finally goes, 'You know what? Just go get the surgery. Honestly, you're not doing anybody any favors."
To some fans, it's proof that it would have been impossible for the actor to do what was accused of him. "How does a person still recovering from major surgery and with an incapacitated -dominant- right arm allegedly 'violently rape' someone for 'over four hours'?" wrote @moncoeurquibttr on Twitter. "Either Armie Hammer is Superman, or someone -House of Effie- is telling a lie."
The Leaked DMs May Have Been Edited
Fans have noticed that some of the leaked screenshots look like they were edited. Here's the most prominent example:
On top of that, assuming that House of Effie is actually Effie the accuser, fans think that a certain interaction between the unverified Instagram account and a fan is proof that the whole scandal was fabricated. "I'm so sorry. I hope he is held accountable in some way. Have you got legal representation?" a fan wrote to House of Effie. The anonymous Instagram user replied: "Thank you. I'm not saying he raped me, no need for legal rep."
They added: "I didn't say anywhere it was not consensual so not sure why so many messages about it." Confused? So are the fans who now speculate that the exposé was only made up to cancel Hammer.
The Accuser Faked Someone's Involvement In The Allegations
Another reason fans are questioning the credibility of House of Efffie's claims is that some people were involved in the wave of allegations despite not even knowing Hammer. A Twitter user who goes by the handle @milknhoneyroses — also believed to be run by the person behind House of Effie — used someone's photo claiming that she was one of the victims even though she wasn't.
After House of Effie was called out, fans became divided on choosing which story to believe — that the online accusations may be fake, causing the actual accusers to be discredited, or that everything was only brewed up for clout. Some fans also think that other supporters of the actor may have been actively editing the leaked DMs — that may still be real or not — just to absolve their idol from cancellation. What do you guys think?