The Untold Truth Of Elizabeth Chambers
The following article includes allegations of sexual assault.
Elizabeth Chambers' life once seemed like a fairytale: a beautiful, successful businesswoman, married to one of the most promising actors in Hollywood. Pieces of this dream life came crashing down when, just months after filing for divorce Armie Hammer, Chambers was embroiled in scandal.
Hammer was accused of rape and sexual abuse by several women who came forward after an anonymous Instagram account called "House of Effie" shared explicit messages reportedly between Hammer and a love interest, per Complex. Hammer denied all the accusations, but his career still plummeted. Variety reported that he was dropped by his representation and fired from several upcoming films.
Since then, Hammer has reportedly been seeking treatment and possibly has taken a white-collar job in the Cayman Islands. What about Chambers, though? What's the truth about the woman behind Hammer?
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Elizabeth Chambers and Armie Hammer met by coincidence
Elizabeth Chambers met her ex-husband, Armie Hammer, entirely by accident. According to Hammer, who relayed the story to Vulture in 2017, they met on an outing planned by Hammer and some friends. At the last minute, a friend asked if Chambers could tag along, and the rest is history. "I remember she pulled in and got out of the car, and I felt like I'd been knocked over," Hammer said. The fact that Chambers had a boyfriend at the time didn't matter to him; there was instant chemistry. "Our friendship continued to grow and grow until one day when I was like, 'I can't be friends with you anymore.'" At Hammer's insistence, Chambers broke it off with her boyfriend, and she and Hammer were married in 2010.
Just as Hammer was the one to push Chambers to take the relationship to the next level, he was also the one that pushed her to the altar. "When we finally got together, Armie really wanted to get married," Chambers explained, per Town & Country. "He sat me down and said, 'Look, we don't have to do this. We could just go our own ways, and then one day you'll be 40 and divorced and we'll run into each other, and we'll laugh and go out to dinner and have this same connection, and we'll wonder why we wasted all of that time. Or we could just do it now and enjoy the ride.'"
Armie Hammer and Elizabeth Chambers had a complicated relationship
To those on the outside, Armie Hammer and Elizabeth Chambers may have seemed like a perfect couple, but in the years since their split, it's become clear that their relationship was anything but simple. Hammer allegedly admitted to cheating on her well before their 2020 divorce. An E! News source said that when he came clean about his infidelity, Hammer seemed so regretful that Chambers agreed to give the marriage another go.
Things fell apart for the final time when Chambers allegedly caught Hammer red-handed. The actor reportedly sent his wife a very sexual text that she recognized was clearly meant for another woman, her friend told Vanity Fair. Chambers put two and two together and decided to end the marriage for good in July 2020, but she seemed to do so on good terms.
"Thirteen years as best friends, soulmates, partners, and then parents," the former couple said in a joint statement on Instagram. "It has been an incredible journey, but together, we've decided to turn the page and move on from our marriage. As we enter into this next chapter, our children and relationship as co-parents and dear friends will remain our priority."
She was 'blindsided' by the allegations
Though her marriage began as a fairytale, the ending was more like a horror story for Elizabeth Chambers. She filed for divorce about six months before the allegations against Armie Hammer became public knowledge.
In January 2021, allegations of sexual violence in Hammer's past began to emerge. Hammer denied any wrongdoing but was still dropped by his representation and from several upcoming projects. Chambers was reportedly "blindsided left, right, and center" by the news, according to an anonymous source speaking to Vanity Fair.
In February 2021, Chambers issued a statement on Instagram regarding the scandal. "For weeks, I've been trying to process everything that has transpired," she wrote. "I am shocked, heartbroken, and devastated. Heartbreak aside, I am listening, and will continue to listen and educate myself on these delicate matters." Though they'd been together for more than a decade, Chambers seemed just as shocked as anyone else. "I didn't realize how much I didn't know," she added, noting that she supported any victims.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Elizabeth Chambers loves being a mother
In the wake of her ex's scandals, Elizabeth Chambers has been focusing on creating stability for their two young children, Harper and Ford. In the single statement she released after the news broke, Chambers mentioned multiple times the importance of her family. "My sole focus and attention will continue to be on our children, on my work and on healing during this incredibly difficult time," she wrote on Instagram.
Chambers was reportedly especially distressed by the allegations against her ex-husband because of her concerns about how they would affect her children. "The internet is forever, and it kills her that one day her children will see how brazen their father has been, not only with his casual dating and drug use, but with these deeply disturbing allegations," a source told Vanity Fair.
Chambers' children have always been the top priority in her life. "I want all the babies!" she told Us Weekly roughly five months before filing for divorce. "I want to have so many babies all the time. I love my kids. I want all of that, all the time."
How she thrives as an entrepreneur
It could be easy to only think of Elizabeth Chambers in terms of her ex-husband, Armie Hammer, but she's worked hard to make a name for herself outside of her marriage. Long before meeting Hammer, Chambers had started building a career as an actor in Los Angeles. She has appeared in a few programs, including "Criminal Minds," but found that her real passion was being a business owner.
While Hammer was busy landing roles, Chambers was gaining a reputation as a talented baker and businesswoman. In 2012, she opened BIRD Bakery in her hometown of San Antonio, Texas. "[Baking] has always been therapeutic for me and I grew up in a food family, so I always knew I would start a bakery," Chambers told Mashable about BIRD, which pulls from old family recipes. The San Antonio location was so successful that they began to ship some items internationally, and in 2016, Chambers opened another location in Dallas. In 2021, she began a third in Denver, per the Denver Post.
If you're curious about the name, there's no big secret behind it. "I just love birds," Chambers said during her interview with Mashable, adding, "Birds have always been precious to me. If you wake up and hear birds chirping, it will be a good day."
She relocated to the Caribbean
Though her family and businesses are located in her home state of Texas, Elizabeth Chambers spends most of her time in the Cayman Islands. It might seem an odd choice, but Chambers has had good reason to want to raise her kids in the Caribbean, per Us Weekly. The place has always been special to the family, as that's where Armie Hammer spent a lot of time growing up. When COVID hit in 2020, the couple (still together at the time) decided to relocate more permanently because their children could attend school as normal, unlike most places in the U.S. which were fully remote.
Things got messy when Hammer went back to L.A. for work after Chambers filed for divorce, and Chambers did not follow him stateside. What could have turned into a nasty custody battle with each parent wanting to raise the kids thousands of miles apart worked itself out thanks to Hammer's stalled career, according to the Daily Mail. Rumors of Hammer's bad behavior began to circulate, and with no work, he decided to live more full-time in the Caymans, perhaps also to be around his kids.
Elizabeth Chambers wants to find love
Elizabeth Chambers hasn't given up on love just yet. She wasn't quick to move on, as she needed time to fully heal from the revelations about her ex, Armie Hammer.
According to insiders, Chambers struggled to reconcile Hammer's scandals with what she knew of her estranged husband. "She's living in a nightmare. [She] doesn't even recognize the man she married anymore," a source told Us Weekly. More than a year past her divorce, Chambers reportedly began dating again. A source with knowledge of the situation indicated to People in August 2021 that Chambers was truly focused on life after her ex. Apparently, she was so intent on moving on and meeting someone new that the actor was not mentioning Hammer or her past relationship with him, even among friends.
Sources say the controversial Hammer was dating, too, per People. In May 2021, Hammer was spotted with a dental hygienist in the Cayman Islands, where Chambers and their children also live. Hammer and the hygienist have since reportedly broken up.
Elizabeth Chambers is committed to being amicable with her ex
When it comes to her breakup with Armie Hammer, Elizabeth Chambers doesn't want to focus on any of the bad. Instead, the host and entrepreneur wants to move forward as best she can. Since the split, and since Hammer sought treatment, they've been spotted together on multiple occasions. "Elizabeth has always loved him," a source told People. According to insiders, Hammer's decision to enter rehab has done a lot to soften her attitude toward the troubled actor. "They get along and enjoy hanging out with the kids," a source added.
They might hang out, but sources maintain that it's just about being a united front for the children — nothing else. "Elizabeth and Armie have been working together on their co-parenting relationship. They are not back together, there is nothing romantic going on between them," an insider confirmed to Us Weekly.
In March 2022, Chambers raised eyebrows after posting a social media snap of Hammer playing with the kids in the Caymans (via the Daily Mail). A few months later, in July, paparazzi photographed the parents with their children out and about in L.A. walking their dog, per the Daily Mail. Page Six reported that the entire family had relocated once again to Los Angeles "to escape media scrutiny."
Elizabeth Chambers has a high net worth
If you know anything about Armie Hammer — besides all the bad stuff — it's how enormously wealthy he is. Hammer is descended from Armand Hammer, a possible Russian spy turned oil oligarch. The family is reportedly worth millions, per Vanity Fair. What you may not know about Hammer's ex-wife, though, is that she's doing pretty well for herself, too.
After graduating from the University of Texas, Elizabeth Chambers moved to L.A. to pursue an acting career and work as a TV personality and journalist. "My first job out of school was working at Al Gore's network, Current TV. I did everything from cross the border with illegal immigrants to go down into an oil well. When the network closed, I really missed the more meaningful journalism," she told DFW Child. This experience led Chambers to her role as the Human Rights Foundation's chief correspondent.
The mother and business owner is also a contributing reporter on "Today" and a guest judge on the Food Network. Chambers is worth an estimated $10 million, per Celebrity Net Worth. All and all, she can certainly hold her own against Hammer, who has reportedly been cut off financially from his family wealth (according to People).