Armie Hammer‘s life has drastically changed since his sexual assault scandal.
“I’ve never been happier than I’ve ever been in my entire life,” Hammer, 37, revealed during his Sunday, July 14, episode of Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast. “The good place only comes from walking through hell.”
Hammer credited therapy — and rehab — for helping him get sober in the aftermath following an addiction to drugs, alcohol and sex.
“Therapy for me has been a life changer. I needed an adjustment,” he added. “Here’s what I think would have happened had none of this gone on — the cataclysmic tectonic shift in my life wouldn’t have happened. My life would have kept going exactly as it was, and I know that would ultimately only lead in one place and that’s death.”
In 2021, Hammer was accused of sending several women graphic text messages about his sexual fantasies, including rape, mutilation and cannibalism. He was also accused of sexual assault, which Hammer’s attorneys denied at the time. (The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office confirmed in June 2023 that it was not moving forward with the sexual assault charges after a two year investigation.)
Hammer’s marriage to Elizabeth Chambers, with whom he shares daughter Harper, 9, and son Ford, 7, ended shortly before the scandal. The couple announced their split in July 2020 and finalized their divorce three years later.
“I am shocked, heartbroken and devastated,” Chambers, 41, wrote via Instagram in February 2021 amid the controversy. “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.”
Hammer was asked on Sunday about how his behavior affected his relationship with Chambers.
“I cheated on my wife. I used people to make me feel better. I was callous and inconsiderate with people and their emotions and their well-being,” the actor noted. “There are things in my behavior that I have to take accountability for, right? Because that is pivotal for me, learning and growing from it.”
While discussing his fall from grace, Hammer reflected on having his life constantly in “motion” before being “canceled.”
“I was making a lot of money, I was drinking a lot, I was doing a lot of drugs, I was partying hard. I was being real fast and loose about what I put in text messages,” he continued. “And I was also engaging in risky behavior that, if you really think about it, was stupid. It was self-destruction.”
Hammer also addressed rumors that he is “broke,” adding, “Yeah. I have come to the place where I understand that there are no free lunches. Someone might look at me and go, ‘Yeah, but financially you are in a very different position than you’ve ever been in your entire life.’ And I look at that and I go, ‘Yeah, and you know what, it’s taught me that I don’t need that.’”
