Armie Hammer says Robert Downey Jr. overcame the 'woke-mob' of cancel culture

• Air Mail published an interview with Armie Hammer on Saturday, his first since facing sexual abuse claims.
• Hammer referenced Robert Downey Jr. while discussing cancel culture.

Armie Hammer referenced Robert Downey Jr. while discussing cancel culture and the "woke mob" in his first interview since facing sexual abuse accusations.

Two years after sexual misconduct and sexual assault allegations forced Hammer out of the public eye, he spoke to Air Mail's James Kirchick about entering rehab in May 2021 for drug and alcohol abuse.

Air Mail noted Vanity Fair reported in July 2022 that Hammer received financial support from Downey Jr. following the allegations and swift backlash. A source told the outlet that Downey Jr. paid for Hammer to spend six months at a rehab facility and allowed Hammer to live in one of his Los Angeles homes.

Hammer acknowledged that his career was likely over before mentioning Downey Jr. in his Air Mail interview, saying the veteran actor "found redemption through a new path."

"What I would say is this: There's examples of people who went through really difficult times and experienced what [the author] Joseph Campbell would call 'the hero's death.' And the hero must die so the hero can be reborn again," Hammer said.

Hammer continued that Downey Jr. is an example of someone "who went through those things and found redemption through a new path."

"And that, I feel like, is what's missing in this cancel-culture, woke-mob business. The minute anyone does anything wrong, they're thrown away. There's no chance for rehabilitation. There's no chance for redemption. Someone makes a mistake, and we throw them away like a broken disposable camera," Hammer told the outlet. "Robert and others are examples of what it looks like for a human being to experience pain and then growth. And that aspect of it is something that I aspire to."

Like Hammer, Downey Jr. previously dealt with substance abuse. In 1996, authorities arrested Downey for driving under the influence and for having heroin, cocaine, crack, and a .357 magnum in his vehicle, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Guardian reported that Downey was pardoned in December 2015.

In Hammer's interview with Air Mail, he denied any wrongdoing in the face of sexual misconduct and sexual assault allegations.

In January 2021, Instagram messages purportedly showing Hammer discussing acts of cannibalism, drinking blood, and sexual domination were released online. Efrosina Angelova, the Instagram account's owner, also accused Hammer of sexual assault and said they had a four-year relationship. Angelova formally accused Hammer of sexual assault in March 2021 during a press conference.

Hammer's attorney denied the allegations at the time, and Hammer echoed the statement in his interview with Air Mail, saying: "Every single thing was discussed beforehand. I have never thrust this on someone unexpectedly. Never."

The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to Insider in March 2021 that Hammer was the subject of an investigation, but TMZ reported in December 2021 that charges were unlikely.

Additionally, two of Hammer's former partners – Courtney Vucekovich and Paige Lorenze – spoke out against him in January 2021. Vucekovich alleged to Page Six that Hammer told her he wanted to "break my rib and barbecue and eat it." Lorenze claimed in a separate interview with the outlet that Hammer used a knife to carve the letter "A" near her vagina.

Hammer acknowledged Vucekovich and Lorenze's allegations, telling the outlet "the power dynamics were off" and he should have considered how fame can affect consent.

"I had a very intense and extreme lifestyle and I would scoop up these women, bring them into it—into this whirlwind of travel and sex and drugs and big emotions flying around—and then as soon as I was done, I'd just drop them off and move on to the next woman, leaving that woman feeling abandoned or used," he told Air Mail.

Hammer also said he contemplated suicide due to the backlash from the allegations, and that he experienced sexual abuse at the hands of a youth pastor when he was 13. He told the outlet it occurred for nearly a year.

"What that did for me was it introduced sexuality into my life in a way that it was completely out of my control," Hammer said. "I was powerless in the situation. I had no agency in the situation. My interests then went to: I want to have control in the situation, sexually."