The discovery+ docu-series House of Hammer is facing criticism after featuring an alleged photo of a bite mark.
The series premiered on the platform Sept. 2 and featured accuser Courtney Vucekovich, who detailed her relationship with actor Armie Hammer. In the show, the business owner said she had been love-bombed by the Social Network star and that she had participated in sexual acts—including bondage and biting—with him, despite her discomfort. She said that she never told him "no" during such encounters.
As Vucekovich detailed their interactions, a photo of what she said was a bite mark was shown on-screen. "I think Armie took that picture," Courtney said in the series. "He bites really hard. And he tells you to wear them like a badge of honor, almost like he convinced me I'm lucky to have it."
However, viewers began to question the authenticity of the photo after they found a similar image of a bite tattoo on Pinterest.
Since then, the image has been replaced with another photo provided by Vucekovich. "We take seriously the responsibility of representing victims' stories," a spokesperson for Talos Films, the production company behind the series, told People Sept. 6. "When new information came forward about this series we immediately began investigating it and will make any appropriate changes as quickly as possible."
The statement continued, "We are proud of those who came forward to share their truth to the public—including Courtney Vucekovich and Casey Hammer—and stand firmly behind the important message in this docuseries."
Courtney explained the discrepancy in a separate statement to People, saying that the image was sent to her by Hammer. "When you are love-bombed, you receive multiple images in rapid succession," she said. "During my time with Armie, I received numerous messages including countless images and videos. The bite mark shown was a photo sent by Armie within our archived text thread and over a year later, I believed it to have been a photo of me given that I have dozens of photos depicting his abuse on my body."
She went on to say that she spoke out in the hopes of preventing other women from experiencing sexual abuse at the hands of their partners.
Hammer has not publicly addressed the docu-series, which details the sexual abuse allegations against the actor, as well as his family's background. E! News reached out to his lawyer for comment on the series and has not heard back.
The actor has faced allegations of bizarre behavior by multiple partners, and one accuser, a young woman named Effie, accused him of rape in 2021.
The LAPD went on to announce an investigation into Effie's claims but no criminal charges have been filed. Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office spokesman Greg Risling told E! News on Sept. 1 that a specially assigned prosecutor is working with law enforcement as their investigation continues. "Once law enforcement has completed their investigation and submits the case to our Office," Risling said, "we will conduct an evaluation and file criminal charges that are supported by the evidence."
Hammer has denied all allegations of sexual abuse, rape and other misconduct, maintaining that all sexual encounters between him and the accusers were consensual. "From day one, Mr. Hammer has maintained that all of his interactions with [Effie]—and every other sexual partner of his for that matter—have been completely consensual, discussed and agreed upon in advance, and mutually participatory," Hammer's attorney, Andrew Brettler, said in a statement to E! last year. "[Effie's] attention seeking and ill-advised legal bid will only make it more difficult for real victims of sexual violence to get the justice they deserve."
House of Hammer is streaming now on discovery+.