Armie Hammer said he had to sell his pickup truck because he couldn’t afford gas, three years after his reputation was damaged by allegations of sexual assault and cannibalism.
Hammer was a rising star in the 2010s after starring in popular films such as “Call Me By Your Name.” But in early 2021, his reputation took a hit when several women accused him of abuse and shared explicit messages allegedly from the actor depicting cannibalism. The messages have not been verified by Business Insider.
In a statement to Variety in January 2021, Hammer called the allegations “bullshit.” He later said in an interview with Air Mail in 2023 that he had emotionally abused his accusers.
The LAPD launched a two-year investigation into Hammer in March 2021 when one of the accusers, Efrosina Angelova, claimed in a press conference that the actor raped her in 2017. Hammer was never charged and denied the allegation.
Since the controversy, Hammer has lived in the Cayman Islands most of the time, but in a new Instagram post shared on Tuesday, Hammer said he returned to LA a few weeks ago and moved into a new apartment.
When Hammer moved, he had to give up his pickup truck, which he bought himself as a Christmas present in 2017, because gas is so expensive in LA. California has the highest gas prices in the US.
“Since I’ve been back in LA, I’ve put about four or five hundred dollars worth of gas in it. And I can’t afford it anymore. I can’t afford the gas anymore,” Hammer said. “I loved that truck very much.”
Hammer said he is selling the car at CarMax and has already purchased a smaller hybrid car to compensate.
“I’ll probably spend about $10 a month on gas,” Hammer said.
Later in the video, Hammer recalled the many memories he had with the car, including hospital and camping trips.
“Here’s to a fresh start. Tomorrow is my birthday, so I’ll be starting August 28th in a new car, a new apartment and a new life in Los Angeles,” Hammer said.
Hammer did not explain why he returned to LA, but the actor may want to return to the entertainment industry.
In June, Hammer said on the Painful Lessons podcast that he had written a script with a friend that he wanted to turn into his next project.
Hammer hasn’t been in a movie for years
Hammer has not appeared in a film since 2019’s Death on the Nile, which was released in 2022. Following the allegations in 2021, Hammer was dropped by his talent agency and publicist and left two film projects and a television series.
Although Hammer is a descendant of oil magnate Armand Hammer, the actor said in a July episode of the podcast “Club Random with Bill Maher” that he is broke and has no share in the family fortune.
“I got to the point where I understood that nothing is free. And everything you accept always comes with strings attached,” Hammer said. “I’d rather get a job selling timeshares. I’d rather get a job.”
Hammer added that he could not get a work permit in the Cayman Islands.
