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Following Armie Hammer‘s very public fall from grace that culminated in being dropped by his agent and publicists after a series of online allegations accused him of sending disturbing graphic messages to women, Vanity Fair has published a lengthy dive into Hammer’s wealthy, ‘Succession’-esque family, which has been plagued by scandal going all the way back to 1919. The feature also sheds new light on the circumstances leading up to Hammer’s divorce from Elizabeth Chambers, and his seemingly unhinged behavior thereafter. The situation went south during the early months of the pandemic when Hammer had trouble living in close quarters with his wife and kids on the Cayman Islands. He fled to the U.S., and reportedly detonated his marriage before he even got off the plane.
When Armie touched down in the U.S., he mistakenly sent a raunchy text message meant for someone else to his estranged spouse. Elizabeth filed for divorce shortly after.
According to Vanity Fair, the errant text message wasn’t an isolated incident. Chambers was aware of Hammer having previous affairs, including shortly after their son’s birth (How very Trumpian!), and the two had been in counseling together. However, Hammer reportedly began leaning into a very bizarre hobby:
Several years back Armie introduced Elizabeth to shibari, a Japanese bondage art form in which people are tied up in intricate patterns. Elizabeth tried to be supportive of the new interest, which Armie allegedly indulged by buying mannequins and inventing elaborate knots. Elizabeth even tried to find a lucrative spin on the obsession: “She suggested he write a book about a hobby called Why Knot?” laughed the friend.
Hammer’s obsession with knots, particularly tying up mannequins, resurfaced on the secret Instagram account that he started shortly after his divorce. Under the handle @el_destructo_86, Hammer shared a photo of a tied-up mannequin and wrote in the caption, “If quarantine doesn’t start moving more quickly I’m going to f*ck this thing.”
While reiterating that the online allegations against Hammer have not been corroborated, Vanity Fair spoke to Hammer’s former lover who has accused the actor of not respecting BDSM consent boundaries. The feature also draws parallels between Hammer and his father who went through a very public and scandal-ridden divorce involving drugs, women, and tattoos just like his son.
While Chambers did not comment for the profile, she issued her public support for Hammer’s alleged victims in early February. “Heartbreak aside, I am listening, and will continue to listen and educate myself on these delicate matters,” Chambers wrote on Instagram. “I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know. 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.”
(Via Vanity Fair)
