Armie Hammer Will Not Return to Broadway 'to Focus on Myself and My Health for the Sake of My Family'
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Phillip Faraone/Getty Armie Hammer
Armie Hammer will not return to Broadway, rendering his acting slate completely clear.
Hammer, 34, announced the news — which comes as the Los Angeles Police Department investigates a sexual assault allegation made about him — with a statement on Friday.
"I have loved every single second of working on The Minutes with the family I made from Steppenwolf," his statement said, according to Variety. "But right now I need to focus on myself and my health for the sake of my family. Consequently, I will not be returning to Broadway with the production."
"Armie remains a valued colleague to all of us who have worked with him onstage and offstage on The Minutes. We wish only the best for him and respect his decision," the play's production team added in a statement, per Variety'.
Bruce Glikas/WireImage (L-R) Tracy Letts, Jessie Mueller, Blair Brown and Armie Hammer pose at a press day/photo call for the new Tracy Letts Play "The Minutes" on Broadway at The Cort Theatre on February 20, 2020 in New York City.
Hammer had been set to be in the cast of Tracy Letts' The Minutes when it was scheduled to debut last March, but the COVID-19 shutdown threw a wrench in the schedule. It is set to resume for the 2021-2022 Broadway season.
The play first opened in 2017, and Hammer had been in previews early last year at the Cort Theater.
Earlier this week, Hammer was dropped from his last film project, the upcoming thriller Billion Dollar Spy. The actor previously departed Shotgun Wedding with Jennifer Lopez and the Watergate series Gaslit starring Julia Roberts and Sean Penn. The actor has also been dropped by his talent agency and longtime publicist.
After months of swirling accusations and rumors about the Call Me By Your Name actor, a woman named Effie, who has not publicly revealed her last name, came forward publicly to accuse Hammer of rape last month.
Appearing in a press conference with attorney Gloria Allred on March 18, Effie — the woman behind the Instagram account House of Effie that first anonymously shared allegations against Hammer —accused him of sexual assault in a four-hour incident that she says occurred in 2017.
Effie further accused Hammer of "mentally, emotionally and sexually" abusing her during their on-and-off four-year relationship. At the time of their affair, Hammer was married to Elizabeth Chambers, who filed for divorce from Hammer in July of last year.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Hours after the press conference, a spokesperson for the LAPD confirmed Hammer is the suspect in an investigation opened on Feb. 3.
In a statement previously provided to PEOPLE, Hammer's lawyer Andrew Brettler denied the rape allegation and maintained that the actor's relationship with Effie was "completely consensual, discussed and agreed upon in advance, and mutually participatory."
Multiple other women have come forward against Hammer in recent months, including model Paige Lorenze, who alleged he was abusive.
In a January 22 statement, Hammer's lawyer addressed Lorenze's claims to Page Six, saying "These assertions about Mr. Hammer are patently untrue. Any interactions with this person, or any partner of his, were completely consensual in that they were fully discussed, agreed upon, and mutually participatory."
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
