This is the latest reverberation from sexual assault allegations and a cannibalism scandal that undid his once-promising film career. Photo: TNS
New chapter, new ride: Armie Hammer has sold his beloved pickup truck – the latest reverberation from sexual assault allegations and a cannibalism scandal that undid his once-promising film career.
The Social Network and Call Me By Your Name actor on Tuesday (Aug 26) posted a relatable video of himself taking his four-door pickup to sell at CarMax, the used auto retailer.
The actor revealed that he lives in a new apartment in Los Angeles, but can't afford gas for his wheels.
So the great-grandson of oil tycoon Armand Hammer traded it in for a "tiny" new car that's a hybrid, and said he was "probably going to put about 10 bucks of gas in it a month."
"I just keep telling myself that parking is going to be easier and gas is going to be cheaper," he reasoned.
The Death On The Nile actor, who fell from grace in 2021 following a wave of sexual abuse and assault allegations leveled against him, is still recovering from the fallout.
Although he repeatedly denied any nonconsensual sexual activity, he recently laughed off rumours of his alleged cannabalistic tendencies and noted that he's "grateful" that the allegations led to his "career death."
The car sale is apparently his latest attempt to pick up the pieces.
"I've been back in L.A. for a couple of weeks now," he said Tuesday in the Instagram video, which featured what appeared to be a GMC Sierra Denali parked in a CarMax parking lot.
"This is my truck. I bought this for myself in 2017 as a Christmas gift for myself – because I've had pickup trucks for a long time – and I have loved this truck intensely and taken it camping and across the country multiple times on long road trips.
"I took it on one last road trip," he continued, "to CarMax. This is not an ad for CarMax. This is because I'm selling my truck."
CarMax confirmed Wednesday that the retailer "did not pay or partner with Mr. Hammer on this content."
"Out of respect for his privacy, we won't be sharing any specifics related to the transaction," CarMax spokesperson Jennifer Bartusiak said in a statement to The LA Times.
Hammer has said that he won't ask his wealthy family for money, and he explained that he made the decision for financial reasons. Since being back in the City of Angels the last few weeks, he said that he put about US$400 (RM1,731) to US$500 (RM2,163) worth of gas in the truck and "can't afford the gas anymore."
The sale, he said, was tied to his 38th birthday Wednesday and signalled "new beginnings" for the embattled star.
"I will be starting my birthday in a new car in a new apartment in a new life in Los Angeles," he said in the video. However, he also lamented making the sale, playfully crying that he was "abandoning my baby" and saying that his two children "are not happy" about it because of all the memories they made in the vehicle.
Hammer is still helping support his young children with his ex-wife Elizabeth Chambers, who divorced him in 2023. He was ordered to pay US$1,500 (RM6,480.50) in child support each month because he "does not have the income" to pay more, the New York Post reported.
The actor apparently took on a timeshare sales gig in the Cayman Islands in 2022 to help pay the bills. – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
