Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines of September 1
Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. Check out what clicked this week in entertainment.
WARNING: This story contains graphic content.
Armie Hammer’s aunt is praising the women who are coming forward with shocking accusations about the fallen movie star.
The 36-year-old and his family are the subjects of a Discovery+ docuseries titled "House of Hammer" premiering on Sept. 2. It promises to explore "the deeply troubling accusations leveled against critically acclaimed actor Armie Hammer and the dark, twisted legacy of the Hammer dynasty."
Casey Hammer (right) reacted to her nephew Armie Hammer's scandal in the docuseries ‘House of Hammer’. (Getty/discovery+)
A trailer released ahead of the premiere showed Courtney Vucekovich and Julia Morrison sharing troubling text messages and voice notes, allegedly from Hammer. He seemed to give explicit descriptions of his sexual fantasies involving cannibalism, rape and bondage.
ARMIE HAMMER SHOWS OFF UNUSUAL NEW TATTOOS AS SHOCKING 'HOUSE OF HAMMER' DOC ACCUSATIONS SURFACE
"I was proud of them for coming forward," Casey Hammer, who served as a consultant for the special, told Fox News Digital. "The reason I wasn’t shocked was because of my experiences. I grew up with multigenerational bad behavior by the Hammer men."
"We were a very small family, but my grandfather controlled the narrative," she claimed. "He controlled it like a chessboard where you were told what school you went to. You were told what car you drove. Basically, you were followed, you were filmed, you were recorded. It was a life under [a] microscope and you couldn’t misstep out in public or there were repercussions, and they were really serious."
Courtney Vucekovich alleged that Armie Hammer sent her a text that read "I’m 100% a cannibal". (discovery+)
One of the text messages shown in the documentary read: "I have a fantasy about having someone prove their love and devotion and tying them up in a public place at night and making their body free use."
A handwritten wrote, allegedly from Hammer, read: "I am going to bite the f--- out of you." In an audio message, Hammer allegedly said, "My bet was going to involve showing up at your place and completely tying you up and incapacitating you and being able to do whatever I wanted to in every single hole in your body until I was done with it."
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
In one text message, Hammer allegedly wrote that he is "100% a cannibal." Casey said she was disappointed that after it went public, the text quickly became a social media punchline.
Julia Morrison appeared in the docuseries and shared personal messages allegedly from Armie Hammer. (discovery+)
"I think that the focus was on the joke, right?" she explained. "It took the focus off the victims and that’s what is truly important here. I think this docuseries really shines a light on bringing everyone’s awareness back to that, back to the fact that this is deeper than what they thought and it’s time for a change."
"I applaud the women that came forward," she continued. "I applaud any woman who comes forward… To be up against such a public, well-loved to some point person that… it’s not easy to come forward. You get to a point where you feel broken. And it’s almost like you say, ‘Enough’s enough – I’m tired of being broken and I’m going to do something about that.’ It’s empowering."
Hammer’s father is Michael Armand Hammer, the grandson of oil magnate Armand Hammer, who ran Occidental Petroleum Corp. The industrialist had ties to the Soviet Union and high-profile associates, including Prince Charles and former Libyan leader, Muammar al-Qaddafi. When Armand died in 1990, Michael inherited nearly all of his family’s business empire, which was reportedly worth more than $180 million.
ARMIE HAMMER RESURFACES WITH ESTRANGED WIFE ELIZABETH CHAMBERS FOLLOWING ACTOR’S JOB CONTROVERSY
A young Prince Charles eating dinner with American industrialist and philanthropist Armand Hammer, Armie Hammer's great-grandfather. (Photo by John Bryson/Getty Images)
Hammer’s great-great-grandfather, Dr. Julius Hammer, was convicted of first-degree manslaughter after the wife of a Russian diplomat he gave an abortion to died. He was imprisoned in 1919. Julian, Armie’s grandfather, killed a man in 1955 in his Los Angeles home over a gambling debt. According to Vanity Fair, Julian claimed self-defense, and the charges were dismissed.
"You don’t wake up one morning and become a monster," Casey explained. "It’s… a learned behavior. It’s what you’re used to."
Casey Hammer is seen here meeting Courtney Vucekovich for the first time. (discovery+)
Casey is estranged from the family and, at one point, worked as a kitchen designer at a San Diego Home Depot. In 2015, she self-published a memoir titled "Surviving My Birthright," where she first made allegations against the Hammer household. It went viral following her nephew’s scandal.
WHO IS ARMIE HAMMER: HIS FAMILY, CAREER, SCANDAL, AND RECOVERY
Casey’s half-sister Jan Ward told Vanity Fair in 2021: "I will say that I love my family very much which includes my brother, my sister, and my nephews… I do have wonderful memories of us kids spending every summer at Laguna Beach with our Grandma Olga and spending the holidays with our parents and grandparents. We were all blessed to be able to attend excellent schools thanks to Grandpa Hammer who was a great supporter of education. Our family taught us the value of hard work and I have had a fulfilling career and a wonderful family life." She declined to comment about the allegations.
When asked about her brother Michael, Casey declined to comment.
Cathe Boal, a former housecleaner for Julian Hammer, Armie Hammer's grandfather, detailed a scary incident in the docuseries. (discovery+)
"My mother kept us together in some dysfunctional kind of crazy way, but once she passed, we all went our separate ways and it’s probably better that way," she said. "So, I have no contact at this point."
Casey said that publishing the shocking book was "healing for me."
ARMIE HAMMER SEEN IN ITALY AMID REPORTS HE'S SELLING TIMESHARES IN THE CAYMAN ISLANDS
"When I was growing up, there was no social media," she said. "… Nobody really knew the secrets [of] wealthy families like that. On the outside, everybody had to be perfect… All I had to do was behave, not say anything that would embarrass the family and go out picture perfect. And I would be taken care of for the rest of my life. My mom had her cigarettes dyed to match her shoes… That’s how messed up wealthy people are."
Casey Hammer, who is estranged from the family, previously spoke out in a book titled ‘Surviving My Birthright’. (discovery+)
When asked if she felt Hammer would ever attempt a Hollywood comeback, she replied, "You know what a great comeback story would be? What happened to the victims that came forward and how they are helping people, how they are healing, how they are taking the newfound platform that has catapulted them into the stratosphere."
"… Let’s follow their journey and see how they initiate change or help people," she shared. "Let’s focus on them and give them a standing ovation. Because truly they’re heroes here. Without them coming forward, none of this would’ve ever happened."
Hammer's attorney, Andrew Brettler, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
ARMIE HAMMER SPOTTED OUT FOR FIRST TIME IN LOS ANGELES SINCE JOB SELLING TIMESHARES WAS REVEALED
Neil Lyndon, ghostwriter of Armand Hammer's autobiography that was published in 1987. (discovery+)
Hammer’s wife, TV personality Elizabeth Chambers, filed for divorce in 2020 citing irreconcilable differences. Months later, allegations of sexual violence derailed Hammer's once thriving Hollywood career. Messages allegedly from Hammer, which detailed violent sexual fantasies, were leaked online. Hammer called them "vicious and spurious online attacks against me."
After those texts were published, Hammer departed from the comedy "Shotgun Wedding," in which he was to star alongside Jennifer Lopez, shortly before production was to begin. Soon after, he also departed from the Paramount+ series "The Offer," about the making of "The Godfather." Hammer was also dropped by his agency, WME.
In 2021, Los Angeles police announced that Hammer was under investigation for sexual assault, which his attorney denied. He spent most of that year at a treatment facility to seek help dealing with issues related to drugs, alcohol and sex, Vanity Fair reported.
Greg Risling confirmed to Fox News Digital that Hammer has not been charged with any crime.
"A specially assigned prosecutor is working with law enforcement as they continue their investigation," said Risling. "Once law enforcement has completed their investigation and submits the case to our office we will conduct an evaluation and file criminal charges that are supported by the evidence."
Armie Hammer's attorney has previously denied the allegations made by the women. (Photo by Christopher Polk/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
Hammer's attorney previously told Vanity Fair: "All interactions between Mr. Hammer and his former partners were consensual. They were fully discussed, agreed upon in advance with his partners and mutually participatory. The stories perpetuated on social media were designed to be salacious in an effort to harm Mr. Hammer, but that does not make them true."
ARMIE HAMMER SEEN IN ITALY AMID REPORTS HE'S SELLING TIMESHARES IN THE CAYMAN ISLANDS
Hammer first gained fame through playing twins in 2010’s "The Social Network," and is best known for his starring roles in 2017’s "Call Me By Your Name" and 2013’s "The Lone Ranger." He also starred in the Netflix remake of "Rebecca."
If you or someone you know is suffering from abuse, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trending
Who's making headlines in television, music, movies and more from Hollywood to the Heartland.