Armie Hammer has exited Shotgun Wedding, an action-comedy starring Jennifer Lopez, as the actor is engulfed in controversy. He’s also hitting back at “bulls*** claims” in his first statement addressing the alleged leaked private messages.
Lionsgate confirmed on Wednesday that Hammer asked “to step away” from the upcoming role, days after he became a trending topic on social media.
“Given the imminent start date of Shotgun Wedding, Armie has requested to step away from the film and we support him in his decision,” a production spokesperson tells Yahoo Entertainment.
Over the weekend, alleged disturbing messages went viral that were attributed to the actor, but unverified. The supposed direct Instagram messages talked about cannibalism, rape fantasies and more explicit sexual content. Multiple requests for comment to Hammer’s publicist went unanswered when contacted by Yahoo, but the actor dismissed the claims after Shotgun Wedding news was announced.
“I’m not responding to these bulls*** 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,” he told Variety. “Lionsgate is supporting me in this and I’m grateful to them for that.”
Following the purported leaked messages, a string of negative press followed about The Social Network star, with former flames speaking out and reports surfacing about his alleged lifestyle.
Hammer and Elizabeth Chambers, married for a decade and together 13 years, announced their divorce in July. They recently reunited in Cayman Islands where Chambers had been quarantining with their two children, daughter Harper Grace, 6, and son Ford Douglas Armand, 3.
Yahoo reached out to a spokesperson for Chambers, but did not immediately receive a response.