A Breakdown of Armie Hammer's Allegations and Controversies

The actor was accused of rape, physical abuse and cannibalistic fantasies in 2021

Armie Hammer has had numerous controversies come to light in the past few years.

In January 2021, numerous women came forward with allegations of misconduct, sharing alleged messages from the star centered around BDSM and cannibalistic fantasies.

Following the allegations, which Hammer denied, Hammer was dropped by his talent agency WME and his personal publicist, and later exited several acting projects, including Shotgun Wedding opposite Jennifer Lopez.

In March 2021, more details came to light about his alleged behavior, as a woman named Effie formally accused Hammer of committing rape "and other acts of violence" throughout their on-and-off four-year relationship — during which Hammer was married to Elizabeth Chambers.

In 2023, Hammer broke his silence in a new interview with Air Mail, denying any criminal allegations against him. Meanwhile, his ex-wife Chambers recently opened up the controversy as she appears on Freeform's reality series Grand Cayman: Secrets in Paradise, noting that her divorce from Hammer was incredibly "painful."

From when the allegations first surfaced to what Hammer has said since, here's a timeline of the actor's recent controversies.

Related: Elizabeth Chambers Says She 'Always Will' Support Armie Hammer in His Recovery Journey

January 12, 2021: Armie Hammer allegations first surface

Reports of Hammer's alleged behavior first surfaced in January 2021, when an Instagram account named House of Effie anonymously shared allegations against the Call Me By Your Name actor. The posts included text messages allegedly sent by the star centered around BDSM and cannibalistic fantasies.

January 13, 2021: Armie Hammer exits Shotgun Wedding

Shortly after the allegations, it was announced that Hammer would be exiting the film Shotgun Wedding opposite Jennifer Lopez, with his role set to be recast.

In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, the actor said, "I'm not responding to these bull— claims but in light of the vicious and spurious online attacks against me, I cannot in good conscience now leave my children for 4 months to shoot a film in the Dominican Republic."

"Lionsgate is supporting me in this and I'm grateful to them for that," he concluded.

A production spokesman told PEOPLE, "Given the imminent start date of Shotgun Wedding, Armie has requested to step away from the film and we support him in his decision."

Jan. 14, 2021: Armie Hammer's ex comes forward with her own allegations

A day later, Hammer's ex Courtney Vucekovich came forward, alleging that "their romance was like dating a wannabe Hannibal Lecter" to Page Six.

"He said to me he wants to break my rib and barbecue and eat it," Vucekovich, who dated Hammer from June to October 2020, told the publication.

Jan. 28, 2021: Armie Hammer exits The Godfather series

At the end of January, it was announced that Hammer would be exiting another project, this time, the Paramount Plus series The Offer, which tells the behind-the-scenes story of the making of The Godfather.

February 1, 2021: Elizabeth Chambers breaks her silence on Armie Hammer allegations

Almost a month after the allegations against Hammer surfaced, his ex-wife, who had filed for divorce from the Call Me By Your Name star in July 2020, broke her silence on the controversy.

"For weeks, I've been trying to process everything that has transpired. I am shocked, heartbroken, and devastated. Heartbreak aside, I am listening, and will continue to listen and educate myself on these delicate matters. I didn't realize how much I didn't know," Chambers wrote on Instagram.

"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," she continued. "At this time, I will not be commenting further on this matter."

"My sole focus and attention will continue to be on our children, on my work and on healing during this incredibly difficult time," she added. "Thank you for all of the love and support, and thank you in advance for your continued kindness, respect, and consideration for our children and me as we find ways to move forward."

February 7, 2021: Armie Hammer is dropped from his talent agency, WME

In early February, sources confirmed to PEOPLE that Hammer was dropped by his talent agency, William Morris Endeavor. Hammer's publicist also stepped away, according to The Hollywood Reporter. WME did not comment and a rep for Hammer did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment at the time.

February 22, 2021: Armie Hammer is recast in Gaslit

In February, it was announced that Hammer would be recast in Gaslit, a series about Martha Mitchell's role in the 1972 Watergate scandal. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the recast was a result of "scheduling conflicts" and had happened months before.

March 11, 2021: Vanity Fair publishes an article on the Hammer family

Amid the ongoing controversies surrounding Hammer, Vanity Fair published an article that detailed the actor's dark family history. The article also featured an interview with Hammer's former girlfriend Paige Lorenze, who spoke out about feeling "unsafe" in her relationship with the actor.

Lorenze, who began seeing Hammer in September 2020, said she broke things off with the actor after he "started making rules for me of things I could and couldn't do."

"He told me that I couldn't have anyone else in my bed," Lorenze said of Hammer. "And then I just started to feel really unsafe and really sick to my stomach about things. I was also emotionally dependent on him."

March 18, 2021: Armie Hammer is accused of rape and physical abuse

During a press conference held on March 18, 2021, Effie, the woman behind the Instagram account House of Effie (which first anonymously shared allegations against Hammer), accused the actor of sexual assault during a four-hour incident that she said occurred in 2017.

Effie, who chose to keep her legal name private during the conference, further accused Hammer of "mentally, emotionally and sexually" abusing her during their on-and-off four-year relationship.

Shortly after, a spokesperson for the LAPD confirmed that Hammer was being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department for an alleged sexual assault.

In a statement 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."

March 29, 2021: Armie Hammer is dropped from Billion Dollar Spy

Following the rape allegations, it was reported that Hammer was dropped from his last planned movie, a thriller titled Billion Dollar Spy.

April 2, 2021: Armie Hammer announces he won't return to Broadway

In April, Hammer announced that he would not be returning to Broadway for the production of The Minutes. The actor had been scheduled to appear in the play before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down Broadway.

"I have loved every single second of working on The Minutes with the family I made from Steppenwolf," he said in a statement, 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.

May 7, 2021: Armie Hammer steps out in the Cayman Islands

In May 2021, Hammer was spotted in public for the first time since he was accused of rape. The actor was photographed in the Cayman Islands, where Hammer's estranged wife, Chambers, had been residing with their son Ford and daughter Harper for the past year, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

December 13, 2021: Armie Hammer exits a treatment facility

In December 2021, Hammer's lawyer confirmed to PEOPLE that the actor had left a treatment facility. The news came after Vanity Fair reported in June that the actor checked into a Florida program for drug, alcohol and sex issues a month prior.

"I can confirm that Mr. Hammer has left the treatment facility and is doing great," Hammer's attorney said, though did not specify when the actor checked out.

September 2, 2022: House of Hammer docuseries is released

In Discovery+'s three-part docuseries House of Hammer, Hammer's family and exes spoke out about the allegations against the actor.

In the trailer, two of Hammer's exes recounted their past experiences with the actor and shared troubling text messages and voice notes they say they got from him.

Additionally, the docuseries looked into Hammer's affluent family's history, with his aunt Casey Hammer sharing the "dark, twisted secrets of the Hammer family" and comparing it to Succession magnified "a million times."

Following the release, one of Hammer's accusers, Effie, called out the team behind the documentary.

"It is extremely inappropriate of you to exploit such a tragic, vulnerable time in many people's lives, with no regard whatsoever for our healing process and privacy," she said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times.

"The way they've been exploiting my trauma is disgusting," Effie added. "When I keep screaming 'no' and they keep going, saying they don't need my permission, they remind me of Armie."

The filmmakers responded in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, in part, "[Effie]'s been vocal that she thinks that making any form of media out of these events is somewhat problematic ... As filmmakers, we don't take that view. We feel we actually have an obligation to tell the stories."

Later that month, Hammer's ex Chambers revealed that she did watch the docuseries along with her "support system."

"It was obviously heartbreaking on so many levels and very painful," Chambers recalled of watching it. "But at the same time it exists and I think we need to take this moment to listen and to learn … and that's all we can do."

October 25, 2022: Armie Hammer is sued by American Express

In October 2022, news came to light that American Express was suing Hammer over what they alleged was an unpaid balance of tens of thousands of dollars.

According to court document obtained by PEOPLE, the credit card company filed a suit against Hammer claiming he owes $66,935.07 from purchases, balance transfers and/or cash advances he made to the account, which he first opened back in 2011.

In Jan. 2023, American Express asked to dismiss the suit, according to documents obtained by Radar Online.

February 4, 2023: Armie Hammer breaks his silence on the allegations

A little over two years after he faced a series of sexual abuse allegations, Hammer broke his silence in an interview with Air Mail.

Hammer responded to the sexual misconduct allegations against him and denied any criminal wrongdoing, though he admitted to being emotionally abusive toward ex-partners.

He also opened up for the first about how he was sexually abused as a teenager and how he had suicidal thoughts following the sexual abuse allegations scandal in February 2021.

April 2023: Los Angeles District Attorney's Office reviews claims of sexual assault made against Armie Hammer

In April 2023, CNN reported that Hammer was being investigated over claims of sexual assault. "I can confirm that the LAPD has presented a case regarding Armie Hammer to the LADA. The matter is currently under review," the office's communications director Tiffiny Blacknell told CNN. Details of the claims and the complainants, however, are unclear.

A month later, it was revealed that Hammer wouldn't face sexual assault charges brought against him by the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office. In a statement to PEOPLE, Tiffiny Blacknell, director of the bureau of communications, said explained that "due to the complexity of the relationship and inability to prove a non-consensual, forcible sexual encounter we are unable to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt."

"Sexual assault cases are often difficult to prove, which is why we assign our most experienced prosecutors to review them. In this case, those prosecutors conducted an extremely thorough review, but determined that at this time, there is insufficient evidence to charge Mr. Hammer with a crime," continued Blacknell.

"As prosecutors, we have an ethical responsibility to only charge cases that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt. We know that it is hard for women to report sexual assault," Blacknell added. "Even when we cannot move forward with a prosecution, our victim service representatives will be available to those who seek our victim support services."

June 20, 2023: Armie Hammer and Elizabeth Chambers settle their divorce

Three years after Chambers filed for divorce from Hammer, the couple reached an agreement. In a Declaration of Default obtained by PEOPLE, the court document revealed “the parties have entered into a written agreement regarding their property and their marriage or domestic partnership rights, including support, the original of which is being or has been submitted to the court" and that the pair are asking "the court [to] approve the agreement.”

November 1, 2023: Armie Hammer returns to Instagram

Following his controversies, Hammer returned to Instagram by posting a video. Set to the song "El Millonario" by the artist Gitkin, the clip showed a laptop playing a video of a man running beside a horse. The rest of Hammer's Instagram account had been wiped of previous posts.

That same month, he posted another photo of him on the beach with friends followed by another post that showed him grabbing drinks with his family, which he captioned, "Thankful for cousin time!"

April 9, 2024: Elizabeth Chambers reflects on her "painful" divorce from Armie Hammer

On the premiere episode of the new Freeform reality series Grand Cayman: Secrets in Paradise, in which Chambers stars, the BIRD Bakery founder reflected on her divorce from Hammer and the controversies surrounding him.

"I moved here with my husband and children three years ago," Chambers said of the show's setting. "But things have changed since then," Chambers said, before adding, "The 'Cayman Curse' is when a couple moves to the island together and then they end up separating or divorcing — and it tracks."

"I went through a very public divorce that was riddled with scandal," she said referencing Hammer. "Stories were coming out each day and horrific articles, and I was learning about them as it happened."

"Our divorce is almost final, but it's not easy," she added on the show, which was filmed in spring 2023. "The life that we had planned for years basically shattered. That was a really painful period of time."

She added that having their divorce play out "on a more public platform" was an "absolute hell" and she "wouldn't wish it upon anyone."

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