The Disturbing College Incident That Led To Jon Hamm's Arrest

Even though he's been working in show business since the late 1990s and early 2000s, Jon Hamm will always be best known for his role as Don Draper in the hit show "Mad Men." From 2007 to 2015, Hamm played the charming yet cynical director at an advertising firm in New York City. Again, the long-running series may not have been his start, but it's definitely what made Hamm a household name.

Before Hamm was on TV or weighing in on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" drama, however, he transferred and then worked at the University of Missouri, nicknamed Mizzou (via MySanAntonio.com). But, before that, he attended the University of Texas-Austin, where he was a part of the Sigma Nu fraternity, according to The Washington Post. While People reported Hamm attributed his transfer from the University of Texas-Austin to his father's death, he left that university the same semester as a hazing incident in which he was involved occurred.

In April 2015, the 1991 lawsuit that Jon Hamm was a part of came to the public's attention. According to Yahoo, Mark Allen Sanders — a Sigma Nu pledge at the time — claimed that he was "severely beaten," had the "claw of a hammer beneath his genitals" while being led around, and then had his pants set on fire. The lawsuit named seven fraternity brothers, which included Hamm. The incident happened in 1990, and the lawsuit called out Hamm specifically because he was "mad, I mean really mad" when Sanders messed up or couldn't remember mandatory facts about fraternity members. Hamm also allegedly used a paddle to hit Sanders, among other claims.

After the lawsuit was filed, People reported that Hamm had a warrant out for his arrest along with the other frat members named in the case in 1993. Yahoo reported that Hamm received "deferred adjudication" as his charge, which is a plea deal of sorts where the defendant receives court-ordered requirements like community service, probation, or some sort of program in exchange for pleading "guilty" or "no contest" (via US Legal).

During an interview with Esquire in April 2018, the interviewer asked Jon Hamm about the hazing incident. They wrote that Hamm's tone became "tinged with anger" when asked about it and that he made a sly remark, saying he hoped he "didn't sign up for a hit piece." While he doesn't fully dodge the incident, he said that the reports from 2015, when the lawsuit resurfaced, weren't the whole truth.

"I wouldn't say it's accurate. Everything about that is sensationalized," Hamm said. "I was accused of these things I don't... It's so hard to get into it. I don't want to give it any more breath. It was a bummer of a thing that happened." Hamm went on to note that he was "essentially acquitted" and "wasn't convicted of anything." He attributes the incident to him being a "stupid kid" caught up "in a stupid situation."

He went on to say it was a "f***ing bummer" and then touched on how his father died during that time. After moving back to Missouri, where he's from, Hamm then went to Los Angeles at the age of 25, according to E! News. He didn't quite get into acting just yet, going through a rough patch of not finding work. He did, however, work in a behind-the-scenes capacity on soft-core porn films.