Jon Hamm was the ‘ringleader’ & instigator of the 1990 frat hazing incident

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Last week, we talked about the Star Magazine story about Jon Hamm’s college days at UT-Austin. Apparently, he was a total douchebag in college. Seriously. He was in a frat (Sigma Nu) and he was one of several older frat bros who “hazed” (tortured) pledges in hyper-aggressive, violent and disturbing ways. The Daily Mail got their hands on the court documents from 1990, where the victim, Mark Allen Sanders, pressed charges against Hamm and the other frat bros. Beware: in the court documents, Sanders goes into a lot of detail about exactly what happened to him during the hazing, and many of the details are profoundly disturbing.

Mark Allen Sanders was beaten with a paddle, dragged around a room by his genitals and had his pants set on fire. Jon Hamm was one of seven Sigma Nu brothers who tormented and humiliated Sanders when he was a young pledge at the University of Texas at Austin. The young man was hit so hard during the warped 1990 initiation that he suffered a fractured spine and nearly lost a kidney. Sanders subsequently withdrew from the university and sought counselling to cope with the shameful episode which resulted in a police inquiry and the fraternity chapter being disbanded. Hamm, a sophomore, was identified as a ringleader and arrested in 1993. An assault charge was dismissed, however, and he completed a period of probation instead of receiving a conviction for hazing.

In a 1991 interview transcript obtained by Daily Mail Online, Sanders tells investigators with the Travis County’s Attorney’s Office how he suffered ‘repeated beatings and assaults’ at the hands of Sigma Nu ‘actives’. He also alleged that he and his fellow pledges were subjected to ‘repeated confinements’ in a series of tiny compartments carved into the frat building’s foundations – including ‘the pit’, ‘the hole’ and ‘the grave’.

Sanders told officials the worst of the hazing happened in the early hours of November 10, 1990 when he was summoned to the house and warned by Hamm: ‘It’s going to be a long night.’ He was then allegedly subjected to two hours of brutal physical attacks as part of his fiery baptism into the fraternity. He listed Hamm as one of his chief tormentors, recalling how the future star ordered him to recite a six-page list of phrases pledges are told to memorize called the ‘bulls*** list’. When he forgot the last of Hamm’s nicknames, which included MC Hammer and Young Bobby, he recalled how Hamm got “mad, I mean really mad’.

Hamm and his frat cohorts’ retribution was to spank Sanders repeatedly with a paddle.

‘I’m hurting bad, I mean being hit right where the kidney is, it’s killing me,’ Sanders told his interviewers.

Hamm and another fraternity member then lifted Sanders up by his underwear, pulling it back and forth in a sawing motion.

‘I don’t know how far underwear stretches, I don’t know how far I was off the ground,’ he recalled. ‘I was hurting really bad and I remember I was looking up at the ceiling and I was gritting my teeth and squinting my eyes … it was sawing and it was hurting.’

Sanders told investigators how Hamm then led him to ‘the pit’ where he ordered him to do press-ups and pushed his face into the ground. The distraught pledge felt someone, possibly Hamm, standing on his back. Hamm is then supposed to have set fire to Sanders’ pants and refused to let him pat the flames down, instead making him blow them out. Finally he was led upstairs to the ‘party room’ when Hamm hooked the claw of a hammer underneath his testicles and pulled him around the room ‘for at least a minute’.

[From The Daily Mail]

It’s one thing to hear that Hamm was part of a group of frat-bros who were brutally hazing a young pledge. It’s quite another to hear that Hamm was pretty much the ringleader and the one taking it WAY too far. I asked in the previous post if this makes you think differently about Hamm today, but now I’m just saying it – I’m not sure if this is forgivable. I’m not sure I can say “well, he’s grown a lot since then.”

As mentioned in the previous post, Sigma Nu was shut down following the investigation and Sanders sued the national fraternity too. Hamm was arrested and by 1995, he received “deferred adjudication” which meant that a criminal conviction didn’t go onto his record. Which is crazy, right? How was this not a FELONY? How does Jon Hamm not have a felony assault conviction on his record?

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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267 Responses to “Jon Hamm was the ‘ringleader’ & instigator of the 1990 frat hazing incident”

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  1. Easi says:

    He seems to have some demons.

    • Izzy says:

      I wouldn’t call these demons so much as a serious personality disorder. How do you do something like that o another living being of any species?!

      • frisbeejada says:

        That’s what I would call sociopathic behaviour, the utter lack of empathy for another living being, the pleasure in causing pain and humiliation, all shouts a seriously disturbed individual in need of treatment.

      • doofus says:

        agree with both of you.

        it’s very disturbing what he did to that kid…and yes, it changed the way I see him, too. Permanently, as Hudson Girl said.

      • The Other Pinky says:

        Precisely. There’s no way you “grow out of this”. It’s disordered to the extreme, empathy is clearly deficient. Now I’m concerned for his partner.

      • Cindy says:

        I agree. This is bad stuff…even more so because he was the ring-leader.

      • Lahdidahbaby says:

        Absolutely right. You don’t *grow up* from this kind of despicable behavior, you simply learn how to hide or subdue that side of yourself. I’d not want to be at his mercy in an intimate relationship. Considering what a bully he is, and how he seems to relish hurting those less powerful than himself, you’ve gotta wonder about his history with women, and how many potential DV episodes his handlers might have covered up.

      • Lucinda says:

        It takes a certain kind of person to do this. It is possible he has grown up and regrets it but it would only be forgiveable if he apologized and asked for forgiveness and I’m not the one to forgive him. Only the victim really can. However, I strongly suspect he is still that person at his core. He has simply learned to filter his behavior.

      • Imo says:

        Hamm is dis*fucking*gusting. What a reprobate human being.

      • CB says:

        Fraternities are all like this. Do you think our politicians who were SKull and Bones did less?

    • Hudson Girl says:

      Yup. This changes my view of him. Permanently.

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        Me, too. I could only read this with one eye open. The sick brutality of it goes WAY beyond a drunken mistake. He should have gone to jail.

      • bellenola says:

        +1000!

      • Shambles says:

        Me, three. I look at him now and all I can see is malice in his eyes.

      • Sarah says:

        I have to agree with you. When I first heard this story I though – Good grief, it was 25 years ago and in college and I wouldn’t want to be judged that way. I also know that there are things classified as hazing that IMO, really are not hazing. But – hearing what he actually did as opposed to that broad term of hazing…yeah. Not good and I don’t think I’ll see him the same way again. That’s horrific.

      • lunchcoma says:

        Same. I was always back and forth about liking him, but this goes way beyond liking or disliking someone,. This isn’t the kind of thing I see as a youthful mistake – I did some really dumb stuff when I was 19, but I never did anything like this.

      • Caz says:

        Absolutely. Non Team Hamm. He got away with it.

      • sherlockapple says:

        Ugh, me too. Over the years, he was slowly but surely replacing Johnny Depp for me. No more.

        This is not a stupid, drunken mistake. These actions go *way* beyond that. He should have gone to jail. Period.

      • Kimble says:

        He has always given off this vibe … Never understood people who felt comfortable about him

    • Nephelim says:

      He doesn´t have a “demons”. He is a DEMON. People who behaved in that way are demons

      • Lola says:

        I was going to say this. Demons are exorcized, through therapy, introspection, etc. This guy has a serious personality disorder that probably went untreated and kept developing for way too long. There’s probably very little that can be done about it.

      • qwerty says:

        Yep.People like him cause OTHER people to have demons.

    • pf says:

      His “demons” would be the fact his mother died when he was very young, and it is not something you ever truly get over. My dad died when I was little, so I can see where Hamm is coming from, although that is no excuse for his actions. As we all judge him, remember we all make mistakes, especially when we’re teenagers and in our early twenties. My view of him as an actor hasn’t changed. Yet if we hear more stories like this (maybe he’s been abusive with his long-time girlfriend?) then I probably won’t be able to look at him the same way. But it sounds like he definitely has a drinking problem/emotional issues that have NOT been fully dealt with in a proper way.

      • Shambles says:

        @PF, I’m in my early twenties, and while I make plenty of mistakes, I have never nor will I ever physically and sexually assault someone for fun. I appreciate your inclination to be empathic and understanding first, because that really is a beautiful thing. But I think it’s dangerous to pass this off as the mistakes of youth and/or the result of trauma from a loss. A lot of people lose a loved one at an early age, and they don’t commit felony assault. A lot of college students may go too far with alcohol consumption, and they don’t commit felony assault. Like I said, I can really appreciate your tendecy to be understanding rather than judgmental. However, in this particular situation, I think it’s a dangerous road to go down. What he did was criminal.

      • Naddie says:

        We all make mistakes? What kind of mistakes, miss? Torturing someone is not a “mistake”, it’s a crime.

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        My husband’s mother died when he was young after years of painful cancer. My husband won’t kill a spider. He sets them free outside. He would never, ever, drunk or sober, young or old, hurt another person intentionally. That is a ridiculous excuse.

      • Lola says:

        @GoodNamesAllTaken, I want a husband like your husband 😀

      • Xazi says:

        Well said, @Shambles.

      • doofus says:

        not an excuse.

        my father’s mother died when he was young, too, and my dad is one of the most compassionate and wonderful people you’d ever meet. NEVER ONCE did he ever lay a hand on my or my sibs.

        and yeah, I’ve made mistakes but beating someone until their spine is broken and they almost lose a kidney, and using a claw hammer on someone’s genitals is NOT “making a mistake”. it’s assault.

      • Aha says:

        Agree PF, young men do stupid mean things to each (ever see Jackass?). I don’t think its right, but also think some young people can change and grow out of it and need a second chance. But two strikes w/ me then he’ll be damned forever in my mind.

      • paranormalgirl says:

        I grew up an orphan and I would never harm another human being. This type of behavior is NOT “normal” college kid behavior. It showed a perverse pleasure in exerting power and pain over another human being. That isn’t “grown out of.” And his victim will never “grow out of” the memories. Do not make excuses for this man. Just don’t.

      • Denise says:

        PF – I get where you’re coming from.

      • CB says:

        Has no one watched the Skulls, Animal House or gone to college? There is a reason I never went Greek. Definitely dude should have done jail time, but you’re also an idiot for joining a frat or going to a frat party.

        Every girl I knew from college who was date raped was raped by a fray brother.

      • Orly says:

        I don’t think it has so much to do with demons as it does with pack mentality, social pressure & drunkenness. People do vile, out of character things in those situations. Plus it *was* a different time back then when this kind of thing was far less understood as the brutality that it is. It could be that he has a personality disorder, it could be demons, but it might not be at all.

        I do wonder how & why this came out now. Something like this is normally squashed, so I wonder if Jon Hamm has burned a few bridges. Or if there’s something much worse (& more current) that’s been traded in exchange for this bit of scandal.

    • laura in LA says:

      He must’ve been very angry to do something like this, but I’ll only believe he’s “grown a lot” when he acknowledges and apologizes publicly for this, maybe even provides restitution to his victims.

      (Even Mark Wahlberg has spoken out about the assault he committed).

      Until Jon Hamm does this, it makes me think less of him – and conversely more of his “Mad Men” character! I mean, Don Draper said once he would never hit his children because his own father beat him, and it only made Dick Whitman want to murder him.

      Truth is stranger than fiction, life imitating art – or is it the other way around?

    • MCraw says:

      Hamm not being charged w a felony? Classic example of white privilege.

  2. Izzy says:

    Wait, didn’t other hazing participants in this incident grt charged? How did Hamm avoid the consequences?

    The details are profoundly disturbing. I don’t know how Hamm could have learned anything from this if he didn’t suffer any consequences. I always got a douchebag vibe from him. Now I have to wonder what kind of violence he’s capable of behind closed doors. This kind of thing doesn’t usually just shut itself off.

    • **sighs** says:

      How do you get away with this not even being on your criminal record?

      • QQ says:

        Think about it, You know what type of system allows frat bros all over the country to get away with this level of abuse and worse

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        Colleges don’t want these things to get out because it’s bad publicity. Mommy and Daddy come running with wallet open. He’s such a “nice” college boy! It was just a mistake! Boys will be boys! It has been going on forever.

      • Esmom says:

        Sadly I knew of frat guys in college who got away with criminal behavior, too. Nothing as sadistic as Hamm’s stuff but felony vandalism and other assorted crimes. Most of the guys’ parents hired high priced lawyers to make it all go away. The one I know of who didn’t have the money or connections was out of luck, and his life went into a deep downward spiral after that, ending sadly in a very early death.

        I say this every time there’s a fraternity post…frats — and the Greek systems in US universities — are just bad news.

      • Azurea says:

        I thought his parents were both dead at that point.

      • **sighs** says:

        Oh, I know how the system works (or doesn’t). It was more of a frustrated statement of wonderment.

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        @Azurea
        I was speaking generally about how these things happen.

      • WR says:

        This is what you see with college rapists as well. They’re seen as nice young men who made a mistake and we don’t want to destroy their futures by actually holding them accountable. Truth is most are predators with multiple victims. Nice young men don’t harm other people, so let’s stop pretending abusive jerks are nice guys who made a bad decision.

      • claire says:

        There’s a lot of people out there who have gotten deferred adjudication for their crimes. It’s a big part of our criminal justice system’s response to domestic violence actually. Enter a diversion program, successfully complete the counseling, not get an additional sentence, opportunity to have the arrest expunged at the end of it. This type of sentencing goes on every single day to batterers of all walks of life, i.e., this isn’t just a “frat” type person sentencing.

      • geekychick says:

        Frat system in universities. I never understood it. But then again, I’ve never seen so much irresponsible behavior in youth like I’ve seen on USA campuses (if compared with our). I don’t know, there is such a big difference between students where I live and those in USA. Our students are living their student lives-it means going out, being pseudo-intellectual, doing guerrilla art, protesting all around, having all those deep discussions about life, universe, art, language while smoking a cigarette or a joint in the college gardens, hooking up, having your “doomed lovers” relationships and so on. USA campus…I went for a day, visiting a friend-it’s chaos: dormitories are full of perpetually drunk, high, wasted students..my friend commented: “like dogs let off from a chain after years of slavery”. Like all those students couldn’t go out , drink and have fun while in high-school, so they went to college just to be away from parents and PARTYYYYYYYYYYY. IDK, but the difference really is staggering, tbh. I was especially shocked bc in USA you pay for college; it means your parents seriously sacrificed for you to be able to attend. In my country it’s free if you pass the test.

      • msw says:

        Geeky chic, there are thousands of schools here, with hundreds of thousands of students. Beware of painting them all with the same brush. There are irresponsible, spoiled adult children everywhere (I have lived outside the US for years in 3 countries, they certainly exist elsewhere). It isn’t fair to make those assumptions.

      • Esmom says:

        Geeky chic, I went to a large U.S. university with a large Greek system and it really was mostly the greeks who behaved the way you described. There were FAR more studious, passionate, engaged, academic types who were making the most of their higher education opportunity than there were drunken, entitled fools.

    • (Original, not CDAN) Violet says:

      Yeah, I have the same questions. In any case, it’s frightening to think that monster is wandering around free. I doubt this was the first — or last — time he’s assaulted someone.

  3. Allie says:

    It has to be awful seeing your bully become successful in Hollywood. The poor guy has to see this prick’s face all the time.

    • BengalCat2000 says:

      That was my first thought as well, ugh.

    • Angie says:

      I was thinking that as well. I am impressed that the guy kept quiet all these years but I wonder if ti’s because he’s still suffering in shame. It’s heartbreaking to imagine HE feels shame when he’s the victim here. 🙁

      • claire says:

        Who knows…maybe he tipped off the media? I mean, Hamm’s been in spotlight for so long and this just now is coming out. Could be a possibility?

    • Franca says:

      I read on the DM that the guy went on to become a doctor AND a lawyer, so he’s very successful himself, but it must suck to see Hamm’s face all over the place, and on SNL and everyone saying what a nice guy he is.

      • pix says:

        So true. I’ve always believed Hamm’s nice guy schtick from 30 Rock and SNL. I never thought he was a great actor; i guess i was wrong. Reading this article makes me believe Hamm is a psychopath.

      • Angie says:

        So glad to hear the guy has been so successful @Franca. 🙂

      • laura in LA says:

        A doctor and a lawyer? No wonder given what he went through. And since his perpetrator seemingly got away with it.

    • msw says:

      It isn’t bullying, it is assault. Bullying has become a catch all term; let’s use words like “assault” and “harassment” where appropriate.

  4. **sighs** says:

    Lighting people on fire, fracturing spine, almost lost a kidney. I’m sorry, there are no excuses. Ever. For anyone to do that to another living being. Being a silly college kid is not an excuse.

    Waiting for the apologists to arrive…..

    • Esmom says:

      I’m no apologist but maybe this explains some of his issues with substance abuse. I still can’t fathom how someone could do what he did, though, it’s truly disgusting.

      • smcollins says:

        Same here, Esmom. I’m not an apologist, but none of us know what happened with JH in the aftermath of all this. We now know the gory details and legal ramifications (or lack there of) of his actions, but what about the last 20-25 years? Is there a pattern of abuse, or was this an isolated incident? Did he go into therapy or seek some kind of treatment to help him deal with his obvious problems? Has he never really gotten past, or been able to forgive himself, for what he did to another human being and that was a contributing factor to his alcoholism? Did he ever reach out to his victim and apologize for what he did to him? There are so many questions and so much more to the story than the assault itself (as horrible as it was). I’m not defending him, and I’m most definitely not excusing what he did, but I’m also not going to be so quick to write him off as some kind of unhinged mental case either. JMO.

      • Lola says:

        @smcollins It’s bad in itself though. You don’t say “Oh, he raped somebody but he’s not a rapist, he only did it once!”.
        Context is everything, he did it because he thought he was going to get away with it (which he did). He didn’t do it in self-defense, he didn’t torture to get revenge, he did it for fun and that’s what makes him so dangerous.

      • frisbeejada says:

        @ Lola, “doing it for fun” is what actually makes him a sadist and I agree with you, dangerous.

      • Wren says:

        Groupthink is a powerful thing. I’m not apologizing or excusing anything, but this Lord of the Flies stuff happens all the time. Even if he was the ringleader, everyone else was apparently OK with all of this and probably egging him on. They ALL are awful and this mentality scares the crap out of me.

    • Pandy says:

      Yeah, it’s not something I would have thought to do to someone in my 20s – or , at any time. Way too sadistic and nasty.

    • Pinky says:

      I tried to be understanding in the last post, citing, among other things, frat/sorority/Greek/Eating clubs/finals clubs/pudding culture; the death of his mom at 10, the death of his dad and grandmother right around this time, but DAMN!

      Sorry, Jon. You’re on your own.

  5. minx says:

    It’s sickening, and I was a fan of his. Was.

    • qwerty says:

      I was never a fan but years ago when I got into Mad Men I remember reading his interviews and really felt for him when he talked about how he was a mess after both his parents died, sleeping all day and terribly depressed. This story is NOT what he said his youth looked like.

  6. cannibell says:

    Who ever thought Don Draper would look like a mensch when compared to the actor playing him? Eeeesh.

  7. lower-case deb says:

    in The Star’s article it said “Three of them were sentenced to 30 days in jail for hazing.” but here it said Hamm was put on probation and didn’t go to jail at all. but he was the ring leader? shouldn’t the ring leader get the worst punishment? something is fishy…

    • SypherMomma says:

      I feel the same way, part of me thinks that he was just part of the group off scumbags…but now that he’s famous the victim has decided to publicly put him on blast (rightly so) Karma is a bitch and even if the victim is slightly exaggerating Hamms involvement, the events that transpired are truly horrifying.

      • Debra says:

        The victim hasn’t spoken about it or him, all this info and the victims statement are from the original court documents filed at the time of the crime, long before Jon Hamm was famous

      • noway says:

        My question is why now? Mad Men is almost over, and granted Hamm is kind of popular, but not at its height. Just wondering what brought this out now instead of a few years ago when it might have torpedoed the success of the series.

      • Mispronounced Name Dropper says:

        I was thinking the same thing myself, Noway. Why didn’t this story come out sooner?

      • doofus says:

        perhaps AMC paid some folks off to ensure that the story wouldn’t come out until after they knew the show was ending as to protect their investment.

        now that he’s no longer making money for them, they didn’t care if the story got out.

      • **sighs** says:

        Probably, doofus.

      • lucy2 says:

        I wondered about that myself, doofus. I can’t believe this didn’t come out when the show started and he was suddenly famous.

      • chaine says:

        I don’t think the victim had anything to do with this sudden publicity. Daily Mail has some sleazy stalker photos of the victim getting into a car after the end of his workday or something that make it look like the victim has no clue Daily Mail is tailing him and no interest in talking.

      • noway says:

        Doofus at the time AMC TV was close to bankrupt, and Hamm wasn’t a known commodity or Mad Men for that matter. Knowing television networks the way I do, trust me they would throw Hamm under the bus in 2.2 seconds.

      • doofus says:

        noway, sometimes a network or publicist will “make a deal” with a tab for access to one or more stars they have on/manage in order to suppress an unflattering story about another one of their stars.

        so, maybe they didn’t offer a payout but interview access to someone?…and it could be that AFTER Hamm got famous from this show, the DM came calling and that’s when the deal was made.

        either way, it does seem strange that we’re hearing about this now that the show is over.

      • The Other Pinky says:

        Noway, it’s very very possible that as Mad Men picked up steam, some outlet got hold of the story. From there it’s just a matter of his people (who may include the studio but likely just agent and manager) buying time. It could just be a simple ‘agent buys them off with constant stream of info about other celebs on his roster or just insider gossip’. Or it could be a cash bribe for an individual who can put a lid on the story.

        I really think it’s too much of a coincidence that this comes out now. Coinciding with both the end of his show and a completely out of the blue stint in rehab (pre-emptive bid for sympathy????)

      • Kiyoshigirl says:

        The victim wants nothing to do with this coming out in the news. He’s being hounded by reporters and so far has refused to do interviews. He’s a successful doctor/lawyer who testifies in personal injury cases. Clearly his childhood abuse injuries motivated him to fight for the underdog. If Hamm doesn’t come out soon and publicly address these court records, he can kiss whatever if left of his acting career goodbye. I’ve never understood the fascination with Hamm. I don’t care that he claims to have been depressed during his youth. That’s no excuse and he had no right projecting his hatred onto innocents. Jerk.

      • elle says:

        I’m with all of you on wondering, “Why now?” You don’t hear about him nearly as much as you did during the first season or two of runaway success. Maybe he pissed somebody in the biz off and they wanted to make sure he goes no further.

      • noway says:

        My gut is telling me we are hearing about it now is because of the racist fraternity song story recently. I think it was the same fraternity too, just the Univ. of Texas Austin chapter. This is the new media cycle remember the Bill Cosby rape accusations were known for decades and one comedians joke brought it all to the forefront. Welcome to our new world.

        Whoever found out about the success of the victim. Thanks, I was so glad to hear that, and if he doesn’t want to speak about it they should leave him alone. He deserves that right. The fact that this didn’t define him and he has a successful life is very uplifting. Good for him, and media leave him alone. If he wanted to talk about it he would have years ago.

    • Perfectly executed Chewbacca sound says:

      I’ve read elsewhere that Hamm flipped on the rest of the frat and then ran back home to Missouri. So he’s not just an abusive asshole, he’s a snitch.

      • Amy says:

        I was thinking that. Plea deals often go to whoever works with authorities to secure the rest of the perpetrators. If Hamm rushed in and made his deal before his full involvement was known he could skate even as the ring leader.

        …which now makes me wonder how many enemies with prison records Hamm has. Sheesh his real life could become a show in its own right.

      • Lola says:

        This makes perfect sense. There’s no need to try to guess what’s wrong with the accusations when the information is so clear.

      • Lucrezia says:

        This. It’s also important to note that the DM actually said “a” ringleader, not “the” ringleader. The police might have seen it as 4 guys that were equally guilty, with one willing to snitch. They’d almost certainly offer a deal under those circumstances.

      • Betsy says:

        Yeah, I hate the word “snitch.” It implies that there’s honor in keeping this kind of secret. While I’m assuming he was just the first one offered a plea deal and he jumped on it, there is always a glimmer of hope that he felt remorse over it.

        But at any rate, you window what happens in communities where people freely employ the word snitch? Hazing. Crime embedded in the fabric of the community. All kinds of horrible things swept under the rug. I hate the word “snitch.”

      • Perfectly executed Chewbacca sound says:

        Oh, yeah, the problem here is the word “snitch”, not that Jon Hamm was an abusive asshole. And yeah, there is shame in telling secrets, when it’s for the purpose of avoiding consequences for a situation you created.

      • Angie says:

        Wow This would certainly explain why he got away with it. SMH

    • Tara says:

      The article cited said he was “a” ringleader. The headline changed it to “the” because … more sensational I guess. Frats suck. Lots of stories similar to this one around. I wonder if some sigma nu alum stepped in to minimize the fallout, thus 30 days / probation for assault and battery… For all involved.

  8. Silvie says:

    He’s an ass.
    You are right– he’s a bully too.

    And now the narcissist psychopath has been exposed.

    Watch how his grandiose ego will scoff as he preens and tries to get everyone to fall for his fake charming self again.

    It’s like we don’t want to believe that talented, attractive, smart people can be predators.

  9. GlimmerBunny says:

    I think it sounds awful for the victim and I’m not defending Hamm, but the pledge sort of agreed to the treatment when he pledged to join the frat, didn’t he?

    We don’t have fraternities or sororities in my country but we do have a form of rush week for freshmen at university where they are humiliated in different ways (while being very drunk). It’s not even close to this level of violence or danger (more alcohol/nudity/challenge related) but everyone who participates have agreed to it and are willing to do the tasks that the older students give them.

    Of course they can quit anytime they like, but I think it’s the same for pledges? So he could have just quit…

    • Zapp Brannigan says:

      Maybe these monsters could just not have battered someone…

    • doofus says:

      victim blaming? really?

      no, they don’t agree to be beaten, horribly abused/tortured and set on fire. there is no contract at the beginning of pledge week that states what the pledges will be subject to.

      it’s one thing to make the pledges dress in women’s clothes and march them around the quad, or shave their heads, or other harmless pranks, but this is too much.

      • Dani says:

        I wouldn’t call it victim blaming because she has a slight point – you can quit whenever you want (but I don’t agree that what was done to him was acceptable or forgivable in the least). I pledged for a HUGE sorority when I was in college and they called all the new girls to the house and literally gave us PAGES of things to agree to be done to us for pledging/rushing. Some of it was pretty brutal. You didn’t sign anything but it was like a warning, almost. Some girls got it just as bad as he did but refused to quit because they wanted to be part of the sorority. I never made it past the first day of initiation.

        It’s disgusting that we still even have sororities/frats that make you feel like you’re worthless if you don’t join, especially at big schools with a huge population of students. I graduated a couple of years ago and it’s even more of a big deal to pledge then and now than it ever was back then. They’re like literal cults. And if you quit, the harass you for months. It’s appalling.

      • Pinky says:

        @Dani Thank you for that insight. That’s precisely what I’ve wanted to learn more about throughout all this.

    • lower-case deb says:

      it’s one thing to do challenges or be made streaking across the quad, or be made to memorize the name of deans or senior members, find grasshoppers or locusts in a desert, or whatever.

      but its another thing entirely to actually be subjected to grievous physical harm. broken spine? almost lost a kidney? what about those who lost their lives? no one signed up for this.

      and let’s say they “signed up for this violence”, let’s say the contract specifically say that there’s a likelihood that you might still end up dead, then that contract is illegal, imo. the perpetrators are still doing something criminal. the onus of do no harm is always placed on the powerful (the hazer) and they have a duty of care to the less powerful (the hazee). hazing should be a bonding experience, a fun one, not a mortal one. and no amount of victim-blaming will absolve what they did.

      • Esmom says:

        I’ve never heard of hazing referred to as a bonding experience. I can think of plenty of other ways to bond that don’t exploit the power imbalance between pledges or rookies or whatever and those who’ve been around longer.

        What I can say is that in college I witnessed plenty of guys subjecting themselves to plenty of torturous activities (again nothing like what Hamm perpetrated but still pretty extensive), willingly and even eagerly, all in the name of getting into the beloved frat house they found so prestigious. And so the cycle continues. It doesn’t surprise me when some go way too far, especially when alcohol, immature brains and peer pressure, not to mention the allure of elevated social status, are involved.

      • Pinky says:

        @lower-case deb Hazing isn’t supposed to be fun. In fact, it’s supposed to be illegal and, in fact, is in 44 states!!

        And @Esmom, I agree: the people I saw who pledged wore their assault scars, bruises, hideous held-down and forced-on tattoos, etc., as badges of honor. People be nutz.

      • lower-case deb says:

        @pinky and @esmom,
        yes i apologize for my english. What i mean is actually the orientation period that is now filled with hazing.

        in my country, there are a lot of college and senior high school casualties due to this first weeks of new students. it’s called “orientation week”(read: ospeck), but it’s actually more known as the equivalent of hazing since they have renamed it numerous times and becoming more PC with every rename. now the term is sort of interchangeable in my language, but it’s supposed to be (in theory) a benign orientation week or new student week.

        some schools and universities have stopped it altogether, but some schools have not, merely renaming it.

        so what i meant is that ‘new-student week’ is supposed to be fun, a bonding experience to find perhaps life long friendships. maybe or maybe not. but definitely not worth paying with young lives.

        i hope now i have cleared up my misuse of the word, and truly convey that i meant no harm.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      They do not agree to physical harm. In fact, that’s illegal.

    • Kiddo says:

      I think it probably was a case of Stockholm Syndrome. Obviously they wanted to be part of the frat and didn’t know what the hazing entailed, until it was too late.

      I can’t personally understand any of it because I never longed to ‘belong’ to something so greatly that I would be willing to do anything, even something silly, to be part of a club. My college room mate asked if I wanted to join her sorority, and their hazing was lame/tame, thankfully, but I had absolutely no desire. I guess there are hidden perks in being introverted.

      • Kitten says:

        Yeah, me neither. Then again, I’ve never been a joiner.

      • **sighs** says:

        Me either, kiddo. If, to be your friend, I have to be harmed or humiliated in any way, then I really don’t need that kind of friendship. Keep it to yourself.

      • frisbeejada says:

        Me neither, never could stand ‘organised fun’ which has always struck me as an oxymoron.

      • lucy2 says:

        What’s also sad is that the guys who get hazed then turn around and do it to the new members a couple of years later. Obviously not this guy who suffered so badly, but you know Hamm and his fellow hazers had it done to them and then later did it to someone else. It’s just a perpetual cycle of abuse, and it’s sick that anyone thinks they must endure that to join. I can’t imagine wanting to be friends with anyone who would do that to another person.

      • Pinky says:

        @Kiddo, @Kitten, @**sighs**, @frisbeejada, me five. Organized anything is not for me: not religion, not politics, not social clubs, and no clubs in general. Introverted, proud of it, wholly individual and not impressed by all this groupthink and groupdo.

      • laura in LA says:

        +1
        Introverted, not a joiner nor a company gal, always questioning things, never afraid to stand up to bullies…

        Yep, that’s me, and why I never understood frats/sororities.

      • LD50 says:

        What a twisted culture to find in third level/undergraduate education.
        At my very traditional English university life fitted itself around sex and drugs and rock and roll (70s freestyle). Those who didn’t fancy drugs were only Law students, (the cream of the student intake: rich and thick) so they kept quietly to themselves.
        The thought of any of the guys I hung around with joining in all this American hazing crud is ludicrous……that got beaten out of them at Eton in their early teens. (Really) By university time they were already running second careers forming/managing/dealing to early punk bands. (Now they write for The Guardian. Hey ho)
        Importantly, every aspect of life was co-ed, so no toxic cliques of overgrown schoolboys existed.

    • Amy says:

      No.

      There is no contract on earth that you can sign that explains away someone nearly fracturing your spine, nearly making you lose a kidney, and making you suffer untold mental damage to the point you leave the school and seek counseling. They have this system because they knew so many Freshmen are young and lonely, desperate to fit in and feel like they’re apart of something meaningful. Desperate for ‘brothers’. Then they pull this sadistic abuse and call it challenges and break a person as far down as they can.

      You can’t explain away someone’s abuse by making them into the reason it happened.

    • MtnRunner says:

      The frat boys held the emotional and physical power over the victim and they used it to humiliate and torture him. While I don’t understand why anyone would want to join a fraternity knowing the kinds of things that go on, I won’t shame the victim into saying it’s his fault for wanting to be a part of a club. The desire to belong and be accepted by those we see as “cool” is extremely powerful. We have no idea what the psychological pull towards this fraternity was, but it was compelling enough for the victim to go back repeatedly until the hazing went too far.

      How a person treats those that who they deem as weaker than them says volumes about a person. This is not the kind of abuse that someone simply outgrows; it will manifest itself in other ways after college. I would like to see Hamm show real remorse for this, but he has yet to speak out about it. That also speaks volumes and I hope this signals Hamm’s career landslide into oblivion.

      • Tammy says:

        A frat at my college was suspended for branding their pledges with their Greek letters…that was the least egregious thing this frat had done to their pledges. So pledging a fraternity/sorority usually involves hazing, torture or violence & most pledges realize this. A sorority that I was thinking of pledging was accused of forcing pledges to engage in sexual acts with brothers from a fraternity. I got caught up in the idea but soon realized that sociopathin behavior is not my idea of a good time.

    • Kelly says:

      Right, it is called hazing for a reason. I’m not saying it is right but the indignation in the comments is surprising. I mean are people not familiar with what hazing is? I don’t find it shocking at all. It is not right to treat someone like this but when you join a frat, you get hazed. This happened 25 years ago, Hamm carried out his sentence, it does not change my opinion of him. Everyone makes mistakes and no one is perfect.

      • Dana m says:

        Physically and sexually assaulting FOR FUN a mistake? Not even in self defense, he was Assalting his victim purely for his enjoyment.
        This was not a “oh i mistakenly punched him too hard in a brawl and broke his nose or I grabbed him by the pants and mistskenly hurt his genitals” This was a full on attempt to intentionally hurt and harm the victim …..for pleasure. I hope John Hamm had received some mental help for his sadistic actions. And I do hope he has changed.

        Most Frats/sororities at UT that my 3 friends were a part of never went THIS FAR. pledges do not sign up for physical/sexual assault. Nobody would agree to such acts. As much as I do not like organized social clubs such as these, IMO, the victim should not be blamed for the assaulter’s TRANSGRESSIONS.

        I do respect that everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Reading this police report from the victim’s interview may change your mind:

        http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1815252-victim-interview.html

      • Perfectly executed Chewbacca sound says:

        I’ve been hazed and it was mostly fun, a little yelling, some sleep deprivation, some “DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!” activities. I was not permanently harmed by physical and sexual assault.

    • Jonathan says:

      “Oh yeah, he knew what he was in for by joining a fraternity” ” He could have just walked away!”

      Are you goddamn kidding me? This IS victim blaming. Why do you think that males are any better equipped to exit an abuse situation than females? Why do you think males are SO different? Lesson 1- men are people too. We are your equals.

      Because some of you appear to be so deficient in intergender empathy, what if the victim here had been your son, or brother, or father? Why is it somehow a different issue when the abused is also a male? The victim should have been stronger, should have walked away, knew what he was signing up for? WHAT? Would you EVER say that to a female victim of physical and/or sexual abuse and not expect to be shouted down?

      Don’t think that this is anyway normal behaviour when a group of males get together- you don’t see gay men organising into social groups where they physically and sexually assault other men. Consensual physical and sexual behaviour between males is a different thing altogether.

      Look at the specifically sexual elements- spanking or paddling other men on their ass, physical violence involving other guy’s genitalia. Sadistic, intentional, humiliating, public, sexual abuse- that the perpetrators enjoyed. That’s nothing less than pathological. It’s not excusable by saying it’s something that happens all the time- that makes it worse!

    • Amberica says:

      Yes. Last time people asked, “How would you feel if that was your son?” Well, if be pissed at the frat, but if also be posses that my son lacked the basic self-respect to walk out the door. If definite go after the monsters that did it, but I’d be having a word with my kid, too. You don’t let anybody treat you that way for any reason. There are psychological issues on both sides here. Call it “victim blaming” if you will, but sometimes some blame does lie with the victim. this was extreme, I’m not disagreeing, but I guarantee that if it hadn’t bern so bad this “victim” would’ve been hazing pledges himself a year later.

    • geekychick says:

      Maybe, IDK not make universities about some frat/freshmen/intiating system? I mean, Uni is for learning, not being a drunk/high mess and despicable human being? Maybe then we wouldn’t have people casually victim-blaming all around?
      I mean, you know…. we can go about everything like that in life:
      “oh, she was raped after dancing in the club? well, she did dance while sexy songs were playing, so wasn’t she asking for it?”

  10. Nev says:

    Ugh. He can sit down now that his show is done. Please.

  11. runCMC says:

    Wowwwww. I clicked on this prepared to say “oh come on, it was 25 years ago!” But honestly now that I’ve read the details I’m disgusted. This isn’t a childish mistake- this is an action by someone who is just flat out cruel and inhuman. I don’t think this is forgivable either.

  12. Dash says:

    Surely this is it for his career…who would hire him now that these allegations are out. He’s not a big money spinner like Charlie Sheen who did equally bad stuff. Mad Men is over, who would hire him for a movie or pilot right now?

    • Azurea says:

      You’re kidding, right? Has this become headline news? Hollywood, & politics, for that matter,
      are rife with abusers who are known to the public, and still continue on.

      • Zombie Shortcake says:

        It will blow up on the interwebs and then, more than likely, really fast turn into tv/print read headline news. Half wit McHenry was only verbally abusive to that towing company receptionist; not only did it go everywhere online, but she ended up (temporarily) suspended from ESPN. Hollywood and politics are rife with abusers, but when there is publicly accessible documentation of said abuse, the repercussions are more lasting. I think his career really is going to go the way of Mad Mel, specifically because a written record/criminal case exists in this instance.

  13. Santolina says:

    I wonder why this didn’t come out sooner. He’s been a household name since 2007, when Mad Men debuted.

    • Francesca says:

      Did this come out after his recent rehab stint? I wonder if it leaked from there…

    • PennyLane says:

      I’m wondering the same thing – why is this coming out now? Why not six years ago when he got famous?

      Was the stint in rehab a way to address this information being released to the public?

    • Green Girl says:

      I have wondered this, too. Why now? The story could have leaked even three or four years ago, and it would have been just as big of a story then as it is now. You’d think *someone* from that time would have shared the story by now. Maybe not one of his fellow fraternity brothers, but you’d think a former classmate or someone who worked in the police department would have contacted the press a while ago.

    • Green Girl says:

      I am also curious as to how this came to light. Is there someone on the staff who regularly looks up databases of public records from years ago?

    • chaine says:

      I bet he talked about it in a group session during his rehab and one of the other patients went out and blabbed to the tabloid to make a buck.

      • Amberica says:

        I bet you’re right. In which case, can we really blame him for not commenting? That’s shady.

      • Angie says:

        Interesting theory. That could explain why we’re hearing about it now.

  14. WTF says:

    Wow, I don’t know what I find more disturbing, that he did all of these things, or that he didn’t pay any price for it.
    White Male Privilege is REAL.

    • PunkyMomma says:

      Yes it is. It’s delusional to think otherwise.

    • Amy says:

      White Male Privelage + Frat Bro Dude + Skating off his punishment to become rich, famous, and publicly lauded?

      Hamm’s the freaking American Dream.

    • Shambles says:

      On point.

    • Bob Loblaw says:

      His victim was a white male, his “privilege” didn’t protect him. Plenty of “privileged” people are victims too and not living some glorious life of privilege that insulates them for all unpleasantness.

      • msw says:

        That isn’t the point of white privilege, though. Point is, if be was black or Hispanic/Latino, he would have likely been in jail.

      • Amy says:

        Exactly msw, but I’m sure Bob would have known that if he actually bothered to look up the topic.

  15. Elisa the I. says:

    This is shocking. What a sadistic a**hole.

  16. Shambles says:

    Not even shocked to hear that he was a Sigma Nu. I’ve been to one frat house over the course of my college career (I was dragged), and it was the Sigma Nu house. They are the absolute worst. Everything you think of when you think “problematic fratty southern white boys.” Obnoxious, drunken, blatantly racist and mysoginistic as$holes.

    • Esmom says:

      Eh, not sure if you can generalize based on name alone. My university had/has the biggest Greek system in the country and the Sigma Nus were low key. Plenty of others were just monsters, but I’m pretty sure that didn’t mean all chapters were alike.

      • Shambles says:

        You’re right, it was a generalization. I guess I was just projecting my own terrible experience with the Sigma Nu’s onto this situation. I won’t say “oh this proves that all sigma Nu’s are horrible,” but I will say the fact that I’m hearing of more bad behavior from this chapter certainly doesn’t help their case in my book.

      • Esmom says:

        Shambles, yup, I get it.

    • Lola says:

      Sounds like any privileged kid from any rich university in any part of the world. My neighbors (it’s normal here for adults to live with their parents) had these awful parties that seriously made me terrified to walk pass them.
      The racism, misogyny and just snobbish hatred that they yelled through their dj’s microphone was really frightening.

    • geekychick says:

      Not even shocked to hear it was fraternity. I don’t get why do they exist.

  17. ali.hanlon says:

    White

  18. LB says:

    I’m going to get tarred for this but I’m still on thinking that people can change. They can be awful and learn from their bad decisions. I even think Marky Mark can change (though I don’t agree with his application for a pardon or whatever it was).

    I certainly don’t have much to say about Jon Hamm in particular. I don’t watch Mad Men. The extent to which I know him is his minor moment on Parks and Recreation and his work in The Town. The allegations made by the victim sound truly awful and I feel terrible for him. Maybe more allegations will come out or maybe this was a one time crime. Maybe Hamm has not changed but maybe he has? I don’t really know enough to say.

    But I can’t be satisfied with thinking that people, in general, can’t evolve and learn from their poor decisions and atone and fight against whatever instinct or propensity they have for violence. That they’re stuck being understood by the worst thing they ever did.

    Maybe my head is in the sand. 🙁

    • Sam says:

      If he’s changed, I for one would like for him to address it. Just be out with it. Say, “Yes, I did all the things that are alleged. There is no excuse for it. I assaulted another person.” Own it and then try to explain how you’ve tried to be better than that.

      I was a psych major, so I know that people, especially in groups, can do stuff they’d never do alone. I think otherwise decent people can do horrible things. But they have to respond to it correctly. The fact that Hamm isn’t making any kind of statement at all is concerning. I think he has the ability to move on, but he needs to address this head-on and accept what comes his way. And so far he seems to be dodging it.

      • LB says:

        That’s a great point I hadn’t thought about. His public response, or lack thereof (if his silence continues), would definitely help in figuring out whether this is outlier behavior or truly representative of who he is.

      • GingerCrunch says:

        I’m wondering if it was addressed at rehab. Was this his first stay? Don’t know, but I’d imagine the alcohol abuse has to stem from all these past “demons”. A brief statement acknowledging all this would prolly go a long way, but my guess is he’ll stay quiet. He’s been pretty private throughout his career. Maybe this is part of the reason why?

      • jwoolman says:

        He may not know what to say. If the theory that someone in group therapy sold the tip is correct, he was indeed trying to deal with it in rehab or else he never would have brought it up.

    • Layday says:

      @ LB I agree that people can change but that doesn’t mean you’re entitled to forgiveness from your victims. I joined an NPHC sorority (an African American sorority). I was given crap because I didn’t “pledge” as a legacy (meaning my mom was one) so the abuse I sufferred was mostly aimed to target me emotionally and on the internet e.g. she’s not one of us because you didn’t “pledge” e.g. staying up all night being hazed and doing my big sister’s bidding and whatever else they told me to do. I live in a different city from where I went undergrad but if I saw these women on the streets who “wanted to put me through all this in the name of sisterhood” it’s been what eight years and I still have nothing but contempt for them. I however consider my treatment relatively tame however compared to what was done to a male friend. He was “physically” and “pyschologically” abused so bad while on line he had to drop out (it was so bad he wouldn’t share all the details). He was threatened that if he said something they would go after him and ruin him. According to him the brother hood was about breaking him down so he could build him back up. Well they definitely broke him. People say why join well on campuses these sororities and fraternities have a lot of power. Additionally this is the fraternity that has a reputation of “creating sucessful black men” e.g. more black doctors, lawyers than any other black fraternity. A lot of the men he admired were members of this particular fraternity. The cherry on top is that at his line brother’s probate show (a coming out ceremony for Black Greeks) they made fun of him for not being strong enough to put up with this type of abuse. People think this doesn’t happen anymore but this happened in 2009.

      I’m mentioning all this because of what Sam mentioned. A lot of these people are defiant and refuse to be held accountable for their actions. Some don’t even recognize that what they did was wrong. You’re viewed as the one with the problem because you stand up and report it or have a problem with what’s being happening to you. I know of another guy that was beaten so bad he had to get a skin graft. He wouldn’t report it but his mom found out and made him report it. His thank-you as a result was that he was ostracized for doing so because he got one of the “hot” fraternities kicked off campus. I’m not sure if you can be decent person that does this or stands by idly allowing this thing to happen (because in the words of Sir Edmund the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing) but you can move on from it and try to grow by atoning for your actions. Yes the victims of abuse have no obligation to forgive you. But at least growing up being accountable for your actions and the wrong that you did is a step in the right direction. People may grow and change but the scars of their actions remain. I don’t think anyone whether a major Hollywood star should get a pass for their actions if they refuse to be held accountable for their actions. In his mind he may think he’s been held accountable by the legal system but I’m here to tell youit goes so much deeper than that. Jonn Hamm defintely needs to come out and make a statement regarding this and at least demonstrate remorse. If not then he deserves all the derision he is getting. He shouldn’t get to torture someone (possibly even ruining their life) and get a free pass. I don’t think your head is in the sand. I’ve just seen the scars of actions like Jon Hamm’s up close and when the perpetrator gets to move on this still stays with the victm.

    • MtnRunner says:

      Yes, people can change and show real remorse for something that they did in the past. The problem is, Hamm hasn’t demonstrated this publicly. He would have answered these charges in the press with how he made amends himself or via his publicist and he hasn’t done this. The longer he stays silent, the worse it looks for him.

      Fact is, he should have made amends after he got arrested, but instead got off easy and went about his life, while his victim bore the scars of what happened to him. If 25 years have gone by and he’s still not made amends, he deserves all the bad press he gets and his career to go in the toilet.

  19. NewWester says:

    Maybe I missed it, but has Jon made any statement regarding this?

    • Lucy2 says:

      Not that I have seen- and I think he really need to do, this is so messed up and disturbing. And sadly probably not that uncommon in hazing situations.

    • doofus says:

      yeah, I’d like to hear what he has to say about this.

    • MtnRunner says:

      No. Nothing from his camp since the story broke over a week ago.

  20. Jenns says:

    Kinda wish all this stuff came after the series finale of Mad Men because I will never look at this guy the same way again. What a douche.

  21. Sugar says:

    There’s nothing the internet loves more than a rush to judgment and a reason to be outraged. These details come from the victim’s court papers and thus are one-sided and not objective. We don’t know Hamm’s side of the story or if the details in these documents are TRUE. We don’t know the facts so we really can’t judge anyone.

    • Dońt kill me i'm french says:

      The facts is that Hamm has been judged guilty by the justice

      • Sugar says:

        The fact is that 25 years ago he was found guilty of a misdemeanor and got probation, which he completed. But now people want to string him up, though he “paid his debt to society”. That’s ridiculous.

      • Amy says:

        Yeah it’s weird how people don’t trust law enforcement or the court system anymore with innocent men serving life and guilty men going free. Super odd.

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        So, you hear these repulsive things about him and just ignore them? They’re probably not true, or if they’re true he “paid his debt” by getting probation? Must be nice to go through life so untouched. I didn’t hear anyone asking to “string him up.” Just people saying his cruelty and sickness have changed their opinion of him. And I think that’s a perfectly reasonable reaction. Your head in the sand is questionable.

    • **sighs** says:

      If they were untrue, why hasn’t he addressed them?

      • Sugar says:

        He doesn’t have to speak about this to make it untrue. I’m sure his lawyer has told him to say nothing. It would be absurdly stupid of him to make a public statement about any of this if this guy is suing him.

        He doesn’t owe us any statement about the matter and to say that since he didn’t address this man’s allegations they must be true is very faulty logic.

      • **sighs** says:

        There was a police report and he was convicted, he just didn’t serve any time. And no, he doesn’t have to make a statement, but it sure would go a long way to owning up to his actions and proving he’s “changed”, as some people here are so desperate to believe. Why is there a problem with apologizing for your mistakes, especially when it seems the system was quite lenient on him for what was felony assault and sexual assault?

        He can not make a statement all he wants. It surely doesn’t make him look very good in my eyes. And I’m sure some other people’s as well.

      • MtnRunner says:

        He brokered a plea deal to get off — that doesn’t sound like he’s innocent. He isn’t being personally sued, the suit was filed against the fraternity back in the mid ’90’s. At this point, he’s not on trial, except in the press. He should speak up, because his silence is deafening.

    • Cindy says:

      This isn’t a rush to judgement- this stuff is from court documents, not “he said she said”

      • Bob Loblaw says:

        That’s the point, the court documents are “he said, she said” and this is one side of the transcript. It’s sensational, which is why the Daily Fail published it, but only someone inexperienced with the legal system would assume it is a true statement of absolute fact.

      • **sighs** says:

        If it were untrue, then why did he have to agree to a plea deal and the other 4 convicted served jail time? None of them were found not guilty. And a plea deal would insinuate there was no question.

  22. Kiddo says:

    I’m in a quandary because yesterday someone admitted to me that they were subjected to monstrous acts and then committed monstrous acts, but had turned the corner on that later in life. It’s possible that he has deep remorse. Or he might be another Wahlberg; unapologetic about his past. On some level, his interviews always seemed more together than Wahlberg’s, but I don’t know.

    One thing’s for certain, at some point he will have to address this publicly from a survival PR perspective.

    • Kitten says:

      I just believe that people can change and I believe that some people can be redeemed.

      I also think Hamm made a huge mistake by not addressing this story the first time it came out. From what I know about him through interviews, he’s a pretty private guy and a bit of a stubborn bastard.. I can see him refusing to publicly address the issue due to his sheer adamant nature.

      It’s too bad because it makes him look callous and unremorseful.

      I’m still holding out hope that he’ll make a public statement that shows that he is truly sorry and horrified by his actions.

      • lucy2 says:

        I agree, I think he really needs to make a statement, and prove that he has changed and truly regrets his actions.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      I believe people can change, some people anyway. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have to account for their past sick behaviors.

      • Kiddo says:

        Maybe all the drinking accounts for it? Private hell can sometimes be worse than public hell. He might have made amends that we don’t know about? I really can’t say, but the story is shocking.

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        He could have made amends that we don’t know about. I hope so. If not, it’s time he did.

  23. noway says:

    I am not an apologist, but a realist. This was 25 years ago, and even though it doesn’t appear that Hamm was punished adequately by today’s standards or moral standards, he was accused and the case was adjudicated as a lot of them were at the time. Whereas today he hopefully would receive a more severe punishment or at least a felony conviction, at the time I think most hazing incidents, no matter how severe, were just settled. The fact that someone would think this is unforgivable, I find sad. A lot happens in 25 years, even if you weren’t adequately punished for a crime.

    Hamm appears to be a working and productive member of society, albeit an actor, although he briefly was a teacher after college too. What do you want to do? Put people in jail for something settled 25 years ago. He is just an actor, not making public policy, not a police officer, not a lot of other occupations that would truly impact society. The reality is even today at best as a first time offender he would get a couple of years in jail, less if he was on good behavior in prison. The fact that he was able to negotiate a deal that at the time was the norm may be a failure of our system, but I am pretty sure it is what most people would try to do whether or not they felt remorse about the assault or not.

    I guess you could not watch his movies, or shows and not be a fan, but again he is just acting a part and you might be missing a good show or actor just to punish him for something a long time ago that was settled. What about all the other hazing victims that abusers were settled with the same lack of punishment? If they aren’t a famous actor what do they get for their suffering now. I think we have elevated actor/celebrity to a status that it really doesn’t deserve.

    • Kitten says:

      Well said.

      It does change the way I feel about him though. Sad because I always really liked him.

    • Perfectly executed Chewbacca sound says:

      Ugh. We don’t have to forgive him because it’s been 25 years or because he’s not pretending to be a moral paragon. The man brutally physically and sexually assaulted at least one human being and probably more than that. Those victims are still suffering. That is unforgivable.

      Yes, I judge him differently than an abuser who did not become a famous actor. Because Hamm has millions of dollars and the professional respect and esteem of millions. He deserves to lose that respect.

      I don’t want to put him in jail and I’m not going to not watch something because he’s in it. But he has built an image of being a “good guy” and he deserves to have that obliterated. He should be publicly shamed.

      • Kitten says:

        “We don’t have to forgive him because it’s been 25 years or because he’s not pretending to be a moral paragon.”

        I think part of the OP’s point was that it’s not really our place to forgive or not forgive him, you know?
        We weren’t wronged, the victim was the one who was wronged.

      • Shijel says:

        Forgive? We? We who? Are we all his victim?

      • Perfectly executed Chewbacca sound says:

        He’s a public figure and as part of a viewing public and a former fan, I’m perfectly entitled to condemn him and find his actions unforgivable.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      You either have that type of sadistic cruelty inside of you or you don’t. No one I love could EVER do the things he did. It speaks to his character and his soul. It changes my opinion of him. Maybe if he has truly changed, and gave a heartfelt apology, my opinion could change again. But with his silence, I just have to assume he doesn’t feel remorse. It doesn’t really matter to me whether or not he got an appropriate sentence, though I think it’s outrageous that he didn’t. He committed these acts of extreme cruelty. That’s who he was. It’s up to him to say whether or not it’s still who he is.

      • Kitten says:

        Yeah but…I mean, on one hand I understand all these comments, but on the other hand I don’t…

        My boyfriend would never hurt a fly. I would never be in a relationship with a man that was capable of abuse or violence in any capacity–I am HIGHLY sensitive to behavior that I view to be even slightly controlling or aggressive. I also would NEVER date a guy that was in a fraternity-this has been a hard and fast rule of mine since I was in college.

        That being said, I’m not trying to date Hamm, you know? He’s an actor, that’s all. I don’t hold actors to the same set of standards that I hold my friends and loved ones to.

        Yes he should absolutely be brought to task for this and I do think he owes it to the people who make up the MM audience to issue a public statement. That being said, I believe in prison programs that exist with the purpose of rehabilitating prisoners. I believe that people who are convicted of crimes should have the chance at redeeming themselves, not so much for them, but for the sake of a better society, even if that person languishes in a prison cell for the all of eternity. I just don’t believe that people should be seen as irredeemable villains for the rest of their lives because of one crime they committed. For that reason I have to believe that people can change, if only for the sake of consistency and to not look like a hypocrite.

        On that note, to elaborate on what OP said, I wonder if the reason this is bothering so many of us is because it doesn’t seem like Hamm faced adequate punishment. I wonder if we’d feel differently if he had served time. It seems to add to the atrociousness of the crime that he seemingly got away with it.

      • noway says:

        You know what they say about assumptions. What I find interesting is neither the victim in this case or Hamm have spoken about this publicly even when Hamm became big at the beginning of Mad Men. If the victim wanted to punish Hamm it certainly would have made more sense to do it at the beginning of his rise to fame. For all anyone knows Hamm could have apologized and made amends with the victim, and they all want to keep it private. The only info. we have is a police victim statement that someone discovered and publicized. Neither side is speaking, maybe neither side wants the publicity.

        I am not saying on here that people have to forgive him, as Kitten is right, the victim would have to do that if he wants to. Even former criminals, if they are not committing more crimes, are making a living somehow, and I think an actor is probably as good a profession for a former criminal as any other. I just watch his tv show, and I don’t really think he is making a living off of being a good guy. I think we put that on actors and to me he is just a decent actor.

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        Well, I’m not suggesting that we shoot him. And I do believe in redemption and forgiveness and prison programs that rehabilitate rather just store prisoners. All I’m saying is that the type of violence and sadistic behavior he exhibited aren’t “normal” drunken mistakes that the average person makes when they’re young. Like throwing your arms around the legs of guy who’s trying to break up with you or going over to a friend’s house at three a.m. and waking them up, or even shoplifting. Hamm almost killed this guy. For fun. That says something bad about him to me, about who he is deep inside. Or who he was. He may have changed, and I didn’t mean to imply that was impossible. If he came out and said he deeply regretted what he did and he has taken steps to get his anger under control and all of that, I could possibly change my mind and believe he changed.

        I knew a guy from work who was a sweet, gentle person, though he was huge and scary looking. He used to fight dogs when he was a teenager. I had a conversation with him about it once. To me, that’s a sick and disgusting and unforgivable thing to do. He got tears in his eyes and said he was brought up around that and he just didn’t know it was wrong. Little by little, he started to hate it, and as he got more exposure to the world, he realized how bad it was and it made him sick that he did it and he would never do it again. And I believed him. But he knew he was wrong and he said so. I guess that’s what it would take for me to change my mind about Hamm. Not that I think he “owes” me an explanation. Just if he wants to clear the air and put things right.

      • Kitten says:

        I hear you, Gnat Meister, and we’re in agreement.

        I think the idea of redemption is really on my mind because I’ve been watching a lot of prison documentaries lately and by far the worst one was a PBS special about solitary confinement. It was seriously one of the most disturbing, horrific, and simply….despicable jail-related docus that I’ve ever seen. It was so…..sub-human the way these people were treated. Some of the other specials I’ve watched were about debate over rehabilitating prisoners and the funding for such programs. On a cumulative level, all that sh*t has served to really solidify my stance about changing a system that is so deeply broken.

        That being said, my feelings about capital punishment and rehabilitating prisoners has been an evolutionary journey for me. Until my late-twenties I was very pro-capital punishment and very indifferent to criminals and prisoners–I pretty much did a 180 over the past 8 years.

        In the end, I’ll always side with the victim first and foremost, but I think society would greatly benefit from at least attempting to help people, even if all for naught, particularly because many of these prisoners will eventually be released into society.

        Sorry for the total tangent on a Hamm thread, just kind of thinking-while-typing…

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        @Kitten
        It might seem weird after everything I’ve said about Hamm, but I agree about prison. I have always been against capital punishment, because it doesn’t make sense to me and I don’t think it’s fairly distributed, for lack of a better word. And I do think people need to be in jail. But I don’t get why we put them in a place and basically offer them no chance to get better, no protection from other prisoners, no humanity or dignity or opportunity to learn how to be better. That’s just stupid for us and cruel to them. They come out worse than they went in, at least a lot of them do. I believe in taking away certain freedoms if your dangerous, but we just hang them out there in a horrifying world that I can’t even imagine.

      • Kitten says:

        “But I don’t get why we put them in a place and basically offer them no chance to get better, no protection from other prisoners, no humanity or dignity or opportunity to learn how to be better”

        This exactly. I just don’t understand who that is helping, you know? It seems like it makes life far more dangerous and scary for prison wards, damages the inmate even more, and doesn’t serve any real purpose. It’s just not a productive of effective way to deal with the problem.

      • MtnRunner says:

        Kitten, I hear you and appreciate you sharing your heart. I believe strongly in redemption because I’ve experienced it myself. There are plenty of stories of inmates being reformed and leading productive lives both in and out of prison — so there’s always hope for reformation. I too hate the use of solitary confinement — it’s a cruel way to treat a person, depriving them of any social contact. The more I hear of innocent inmates being released from death row, the less I can accept capital punishment, despite believing in it for most of my life. It doesn’t seem to deter crime, is that’s the primary reason it’s still used.

      • Perfectly executed Chewbacca sound says:

        The prison system in America is terrible, but that has nothing to do with this as far as I’m concerned. He’s square with the law. But he did something truly awful and he’s made no attempt to demonstrate any kind of growth or change since that period in his life. It’s reprehensible.

        I’d be perfectly willing to forgive him as a fan if he were to come out and explain how awful he feels, how much he regrets it, how he’s giving a million dollars to charity to stop fraternity abuse, etc. He hasn’t done that and it seems at this point that he won’t. Fuck him.

    • Cindy says:

      I agree with what you said. I do wonder though, when laws are not appropriate, if we as a society try to compensate by public shaming. For example, child sex offenders do not do a lot of prison time, unless they actually kill their victim. (Not in any way comparing this to Hamm, just trying to make a point). Because they are still just as dangerous to children when released, they are registered as sex offenders for public safety. Because maybe the community feels helpless and intuitively knows these guys should be in prison, we shame them out of the community. It seems like public shaming in some cases is a response to our laws failing in some regard. Again, I am in no way comparing Hamm to a child sex offender, just saying that people (including me), are frustrated that Hamm seems to have had no consequences and in fact, lives a blessed, affluent life while his victim most likely still suffers.

      Sorry so long. In short I guess I am saying we (society) get legitimately frustrated when injustice isn’t properly addressed by the legal system, i.e. polanski , woody allen.

      • Kitten says:

        Yes I typed something similar above, before I saw your comment.

      • noway says:

        My problem with public shaming is as human beings we have a long history of being wrong on this matter. Great literature has been written about it. Honestly our mob think on punishment may not start with severe and unusual punishments, but it escalates very fast.

        Just for those interested, apparently the victim is a well respected Doctor now, and did not release the information and he refuses to comment. First I am happy this didn’t ruin this man’s life as he may be as successful or more than John Hamm, and good for him. Second they need to leave him alone he deserves that much.

    • unmade_bed says:

      This is a very wise comment. I can’t see why people expect music, movie and tv stars to be blameless. Everyone has their demons.

  24. Wren33 says:

    I’m not a fan of his, but I do have a very small amount of sympathy for hazers who have had it done to them and then are taught that this is what they are supposed to do in turn. That is why hazing needs to be addressed from the top, which it has been. However, to be a ringleader and escalate, he obviously got some special kick out of abusing someone.

  25. DavidBowie says:

    I wasn’t really a fan of his before this and I’m definitely not now.

  26. Lilacflowers says:

    Because hazing incidents like the one in which Hamm was involved are quite common in college fraternity/sorority initiation rites, my state statutorily banned all initiation rites decades ago and not only do students involved face possible criminal charges but the schools are held accountable too, which makes them far more interested in preventing such events.

  27. ToodySezHey says:

    There are youthful indiscretions and bad decisions..but this sh!t is just beyond. It would never in a million years occur to me to something that vile to another person. This mofo did it for lulz. The dude bro entitlement that let’s someone think is cool is unfathomable.

    I seriously wonder why this is all just coming to light now and also think Lainey maybe onto something about the timing of his rehab stint and this story finally breaking.

  28. ncboudicca says:

    Was never a fan, and definitely less likely to ever become one now.

    For every one story that comes out like this, there are 50 that don’t. The frat system is full of stories like this.

  29. Amy says:

    Smh, surprise surprise.

    So now we’ve gotten the true details of just how complicit Hamm was in all of this ugliness the real story is what other little secrets are hiding from his frat days?

    Frat abuse is like Pringles, I mean it’s never just ‘one’ little crime now is it? How many Hamm victims are still in the shadows?

    Called it on day one with this story.

  30. jinni says:

    I wonder if all of the people saying that people can change and that it happened a long time ago feel the same way about Polanski or Allen. Because as far as I know both men got away with their crimes, just like Jon and both are far as any of us are aware have not committed anymore crimes, just like Jon. So does that make it okay to stop bringing up their crimes too? Couldn’t they have also changed? And why is everyone assuming that Hamm is remorseful? He hasn’t said a word about this so for all any of us knows he’s the same douche frat boy to this day.

    Personally, there are some crimes that no amount of time will ever erase ( like purposely harming another human being) . I feel that as long as the victim of the crime is still dealing with the repercussions of the criminal’s actions then the criminal should still be looked at as the person they were when they committed their crime. If the victim has forgiven that criminal then fine, but I will forever side eye that person. I know that makes me judgmental and I am not perfect, but some things are just so reprehensible.

    • Naddie says:

      Woody Allen came up right away in mind when I read those comments.

    • noway says:

      Polanski is an interesting case of karma coming and biting you in the butt. I think if he had just accepted his revised sentence and not fled, the story would probably have little legs now. Times have changed and what people would have thought less deviant in the seventies is full blown out criminal crazy in the 2000’s. I have no pity for him he should have settled this at some time in the last fifty years, and let him stay in another country. He has had many times, resources, and ways to mitigate his problems and has never done it.

      Woody Allen was never convicted or even prosecuted. I still think he is a creep even if the child sexual abuse isn’t true, but for marrying his pseudo step daughter. As far as served his time for his crime, I think when you aren’t convicted you have no debt to serve. Also, I think comparing child rape to a horrific hazing incident really isn’t a good analogy.

      • jinni says:

        Sexual Assault was involved in all cases (yes, using the claw of a hammer to pull a person by their genitals is sexual assault to me), so I don’t think it’s too far-fetched to compare them.

      • noway says:

        Yes but child rape and child sexual assault just shouldn’t be compared to any other kind of assault. To me that is a whole different animal and deserves a place in hell all on his own.

  31. nicegirl says:

    I am absolutely disgusted with this and will not be able to watch this Hamm person on any screen.

    I have a deep, abiding disgust for perpetrators of sexual assault.

  32. M.A.F. says:

    You know, I’m not surprised. Just watching him in interviews I always thought he was off.

  33. Angie says:

    I’m disturbed that this took so long to come out. I’m equally disturbed that he’s made no statement about it. The details are so horrific and his alleged actions so SADISTIC that I personally need him to address this or else I’m through with the guy. (Not that he gives a crap, I’m just saying this as a consumer of entertainment.)

    I’m not going to assume Hamm changed just because he’s a good actor and he appears to be a smart, politically enlightened guy. He’s not getting the benefit of the doubt from me. I’m sorry I’m really bothered by the fact he seems to be getting a free pass because so many people are fond of Mad Men and respect his portrayal of Don Draper.

  34. Suzy from Ontario says:

    I’ve always thought there was something a little bit off about Hamm. Lately, more and more smarmy stuff has been coming out about him…poor behaviour stuff, drinking too much and acting like an a**hole, so figured okay, but this stuff? It’s definitely sociopathic personality disorder. Very disturbing! Sociopaths can appear very charming when they want to, and I think Hamm does that, but I could see him turning scary on a dime. I think it’s ridiculous that the frat brothers who did this didn’t end up with much more serious consequences!

    Maybe Hamm should make a career move towards playing charming sociopaths in movies. He’d probably be very good at it.

  35. Tig says:

    Totally left out of the discussion here is how the victim feels about all this coming to light. As has been pointed out, evidently he didn’t leak it. I sure hope he got a heads up bef all this was released. It’s entirely possible that after 25 years, he really doesn’t want this aired. It’s liked he’s being victimized all over again.

    • **sighs** says:

      But this was 25 years ago…shouldn’t he be over it by now? People change.

      *-read with a dump truck full of sarcasm-*

  36. Dana m says:

    Kaiser,

    Im so Glad you finally wrote about the details and CBers got a chance to read them.

    Ill try to find the link with the police report for those that still can’t believe that their beloved would do such a thing. It was like 50 pages +. I was pissed just to hear what he did but once I read about it in the victim’s words , I was just completely disgusted. John Hamm was without question the ringleader and called all the shots.

    My heart goes out to the victim and I hope he was able to recover. Many hazing victims end up with PTSD or other mental health issues. Not sure if it was This victim but One pledge was found all beaten up in the frat house closet a Day or two later, he was so shaken up and afraid to get out. Someone tipped off his mother and she was the one who found him in the closet. I was shocked when a poster sort of put the blame on the victim for even deciding to be in a fraternity. Wow! Not all frats/sororities physically abuse their pledges. I was not in one while at UT (nor did I want to be in one) but knew people who were well-rounded individuals and never experienced such criminal acts.

    I’m completely embarrassed to know that John Hamm attended my school.

    • Amy says:

      I believe that was the same pledge. Yes I also wonder if he’s suffered PTSD or other lasting mental effects. I’m sure nearly losing a kidney hasn’t been great for his health.

  37. Nayru says:

    It could go either way for me. I enjoy Mad Men but feel slight dislike for John Hamm. I do get a vibe that he is a bully and capable of this. That said is like to think I’d give any one the benefit of doubt and reserve full judgement on a past crime before getting further details. What were the situation that led to this? Were they pressured into it? How have they responded with remorse and desire to change?

  38. Melymori says:

    To me he has always reeked douchiness. I really can’t stand him in any movie/tv show I see him. A completely turn off for me.

  39. Perfectly executed Chewbacca sound says:

    THANK YOU CELEBITCHY for continuing to cover this story. I’ve been very disappointed to see this story basically disappear from the news without further outcry. Please keep on it.

    • Dana m says:

      Agreed! thank you celebitchy.

    • Nina says:

      Yes why is that? I actually looked for more stories and found some but there’s been no public outcry. Is he fading from the spotlight (if so, thank god) or do people not care about the story? Admittedly, I wasn’t too excited about the headlines either– drunken frat boy hazing, eh, what else is new, was my thought about the headline. Only on reading this article was I shocked and truly disgusted. Like everyone’s said, this reflects a twisted and sadistic personality with no sense of respect for others or himself, ultimately – not just the folly of youth.

      • Perfectly executed Chewbacca sound says:

        I am shocked at how some on here are scrambling to defend his absolutely reprehensible actions. These are the same people who will call Kim and Kanye worthless morons, unfit parents, and worse for wearing unflattering outfits or failing to express themselves clearly or having an antsy child.

  40. Sue says:

    You ask – why doesn’t he have a felony conviction on his record? His family had money. That’s why. It happens all the time. Why wasn’t Mel Gibson arrested for hitting his girlfriend and threatening to put her in a rose garden?

  41. FingerBinger says:

    At what point do people redeem themselves and receive forgiveness for what they’ve done? Did Jon Hamm apologize? Did he make amends to the person he hurt? I’m not ready to burn the guy in effigy yet.

    • MtnRunner says:

      I hear what you’re saying, FingerBinger, but if Hamm had sought to make amends his publicist would have fired back at the DM as soon as this story broke. I’m sure his publicist was asked for a statement and they haven’t given any yet since the April 8th, when the DM article came out.

      While I’m glad he’s been outed, I feel sorry for the victim who has been given publicity that he probably didn’t want.

  42. Vampi says:

    “Another one bites the dust….another one bites the dust.” BYE!
    This is so sad. I can’t even imagine.

  43. Christin says:

    I admit to liking him on MM during the early episodes (but then again, I liked the early 1960s theme and look). Seeing him in other shows and interviews took away some of the luster. He seemed very self absorbed. I also get a strange vibe about his relationship. However, this level of cruelty is very telling about who he is as a person.

    Even if he had not one living relative by age 1, it does not excuse such horrific behavior.

  44. Lisa says:

    F*** him. I don’t care what his level of involvement is, he shouldn’t get away with it. Especially when we know he was the leader.

  45. danni says:

    he wasn’t punished for that because the court felt sorry about him- both parents died, he is an orphand.

  46. Anastasia says:

    Remember what an assy douche he played in Bridesmaids? I always suspected he didn’t have to really act too hard in that role, and now I think so even more.

  47. msw says:

    That isn’t hazing, it’s assault. Talk about crossing a line.

  48. Anastasia says:

    There’s an article on the Daily Mail about this, including the fact that his victim went on to become both an attorney and a doctor. He now specializes in medical malpractice suits.

    I read Hamm’s Wikipedia page next. I think someone should add this to it.

  49. lukie says:

    I started college in 1990 and I remember this story. It changed the entire pledging system country wide.

    What he did was disgusting and for those days, more common than you know. I had a friend with fractured ribs and a bruised kidney. He almost lost his spleen; guy was a football player so imagine what the heck they must have done to him to inflict that damage.

  50. Mike says:

    Creep.

    Who would have known he himself was a much creepier character than Don himself? Look at the sh– he has been hiding! The guy fooled all of America. ‘Salt of the earth all American admirable male’? Please.

    He is vile and while I think he is really handsome, he is done to me. And I used to be a massive fan.

    He set someone on fire, brutalized him with a paddle and attempted genital mutilation. Yeah, his cute face will not be enough to save him public disgrace. Not this time. He is disgusting and what he did is abhorrent and reprehensible. His nemesis Kim Kardashian had never done anything half as condemnable. And many people have dead parents, they do not grow up to be violent a-holes. Give me a break.

    I am happy he is not a big moviestar. He doesn’t deserve it.

  51. ¡mire usted! says:

    I’m not shocked at all. However, the timing of this coming out is fascinating, isn’t it? Not only did he not do time in jail or live with the repercussions of a felony for his criminal behavior, it is not publicized while he’s working on Mad Men for 7 years. The events are of public record. Was there a gag order established back in the 90’s when he wasn’t even a star yet? Clearly someone paid the plaintiff not to talk or leak it. Gee, I wonder who? As soon as Mad Men ends, it’s out and he goes into rehab. Perfect timing right?

  52. Jayna says:

    Very disturbing that he had so much cruel violence in him. People do change. It doesn’t take away from the fact that back then he had a cruel streak in him that big. it’s horrible that he was the ringleader of such vile behavior. I don’t know any men that had that kind of cruelty in them when that age.

  53. pippa smith says:

    Now we know he is actually very close in personality to his Don Draper character.

  54. Andrea says:

    This sounds like my sociopathic ex boyfriend whom I had a 3 year restraining order against because the judge deemed him that dangerous. I found out after we broke up, that he had done similar (stalking me, threatening to kill me, etc) if not worse (rape, beaten) to all of his ex girlfriends. This is a pattern that he will continue to do and I pray for strength for the women he comes in contact with in the future. He is also known to lie about his age (claims he is 29 when he is almost 40), dates multiple women at once without any of them knowing, and dates really young college aged girls(20 years younger than him). Looking back, my ex had nothing good to say about ANY of his exes, which is a HUGE red flag. Certainly, they can’t all be ‘crazy”. No one grows out of this horrific behavior, they just get better at hiding it/manipulating others. The only way he has changed is if he had remorse for what he did and didn’t truly want to do it. If Jon took pleasure in hurting this pledge, he is just like my sociopath ex.

    It makes me wonder about Jon’s long term girlfriend what she has maybe seen/experienced.

  55. Andrea says:

    Also, another ex boyfriend of mine was pledging a frat and was forced to do 18 shots in a row. They had to take him back to his apartment and call me to make sure he didn’t choke on his own vomit. He was really messed up. I was worried he may have had alcohol poisoning but thankfully he slept it off. This was in the early 2000’s. He quit the frat because it was just too much (he also was dumped in the middle of no where and forced to find his way back home at midnight).

  56. ¡mire usted! says:

    I’d really like to believe Jennifer Westfeldt did not know about this. I can’t imagine a Yale educated woman would partner with a man with such a violent and criminal past like him. I mean statistics have shown, it is very rare that this type of behavior only happens once – very similarly with domestic violence. I also would like to believe he is rehabilitated but he should have a felony on his record along with justified time in jail. When criminals are not punished, statistics have proven they will repeat the crime.

    Now, please take a moment and ask yourself if ALL men who commit a vicious violent assault like this get “deferred adjudication”?

    I’m thankful his victim was able to more on with his life. He could have died. I’m glad he filed charges against the attackers and the frat. He did the right thing.

    Hey I wish John Hamm well. Clearly he has a lot of problems.

    • PennyLane says:

      My guess would be that he had told her the general outlines of the situation but none of the specifics. I would be curious to know if she was aware of the details.

      Since the details are what turns this event from your average ‘hazing-over-the-line’ situation into something more closely resembling a horror film, I can’t imagine she would have stayed with him if she knew them. But…maybe I’m just projecting.

      I’d wish them well and hope they heal, but I couldn’t be in a relationship with a person who had done that.

  57. Mispronounced Name Dropper says:

    And to think it wasn’t that long ago when people were gushing about how sensitive and enlightened he was. Don’t believe the hype!

  58. unmade_bed says:

    I thought all frats did this kind of thing.

  59. Korra says:

    This man was allowed TO BE A FREAKING TEACHER. WHAT IN THE ACTUAL F*CK?! You guys I applaud you for caring for people in the prison system because I don’t disagree that it needs to be reformed and rehabilitation should be attempted. But he did not even touch the prison system. None of the rest of his life was affected by this professionally or even personally. Sorry, it’s just not the same. He deserves to be criticized and lambasted. I don’t really have sympathy. Sorry.

    His criticism of Kim is now laughable. Lol that John Chavez guy was right. Let’s see where Jon Hamm is after Mad Men. Eat your words Hamm. Whatever KK may be, she’s so not as bad as what you were.

  60. Jag says:

    I consider him as disgusting and as needing of jail time as Marky Mark. He should be in JAIL!

    I also cannot, and will not, ever understand the need of a college-age person to subject themselves to such horrible experiences just to join a gang of abusive jerks. Not wanting to join a sorority was one of the reasons I did not attend a traditional, four-year college or University; I chose to go to community college instead.

    Yes, this changes my perception of him and I thank you for writing about it.

  61. funmi says:

    Personally I would hate to think I would be judged for something I did five years ago how much more twenty five years on.
    Especially when nothing has come to light to show that he is still as much a jerk now as he was then.
    People change. Even rapists and murderers sometimes change.
    The point is does he feel sorry, and is he still the same person? Until we absolutely know for sure (which nobody knows at this point) then I don’t think we have a right to judge.

    • Korra says:

      Lol eff that. I’m not down for it. And yes. I have a right to judge. Since he was allowed to make b-tchy judgey comments for years and get called an enlightened individual and all that bs people had reserved for him and his bs. I am so allowed to judge him for it. This goes against everything I stand for so yes I’m going to judge. He did it. Now I’m going to do the same.

      I’m not here for the forgiveness bs. I agree with people who are asking whether any of you would say the same for polanski, allen, chris brown, and eventually justin bieber. The latter two who get way more criticism for their behavior and one who has been punished by our judiciary system. Yet we still argue that his celebrity got him out of a worse punishment. Are they not young? Do we really have a place to judge them? Don’t they get an opportunity to be better without our judgement? I highly doubt people here would give them a pass (lol I’m not going to anytime soon). Not interested in giving this Donald Draper a pass. He’s certainly getting it from everyone else. He’ll live if he doesn’t get it from me.

    • Amy says:

      Well just to let you know if you do the things he did then yes you’ll be judged. Yup, even if it’s 20 years later. Does time magically erase nearly breaking a person’s spine? You’re judged on your actions. We all are, good and bad.

      Good can outweigh bad and people can change but you can’t erase cruelty with time. Time won’t make some crimes less offensive to people.

  62. Gabby says:

    If he weren’t good looking would he ever have gotten away with this? Look at how much impact looks have in society.

  63. CidySmiley says:

    Jon Hamm … I mean, I can see it, it’s not a huge surprise or anything.

  64. Frosty says:

    Dear god. I remember when that happened. All I can say is the frats could get seriously out of control and generally they were given a lot of slack. I think the only reason we know the details of this is because this young man had the courage to press charges. I think it was that same year a mother was arrested for planning the murder of a cheerleading competitor of her daughter’s, also in Austin I believe.

  65. Angie says:

    One thing that makes me especially irritable about this story (besides the fact he’s paid NO consequences for his actions and it appears most of the media is ignoring it) is the fact Jon Hamm is a damn judgy guy.

    I just find it amazing that someone with an incident like this in his past could be so smug and self-righteous. WOW! That’s pretty damn galling. I can’t believe I’m saying this but Team Kim Kardashian.

  66. Zizzy says:

    Well, here’s a different perspective, and you will probably find it disgusting, I’m not saying that it is right I’m just putting it out there because it’s the truth and it’s one that I haven’t seen on this page yet.

    I could very much have seen myself doing something like this at that age. Not the genital stuff or deliberately burning someone, but the paddle stuff, the beatings, for sure.

    I can tell you for a fact that I’m not a sociopath, and I’m not a sadist. I have a conscience, I have empathy, and I’m not attracted to violence. At this point in my life I can’t even watch something like Game of Thrones. Brutality like ISIS etc. is deeply disturbing to me.

    I grew up in a house where I was hit constantly. Every single day. Hard, relentlessly, with lots of different objects. For the most random “reasons.” And even if there was no possible reason, one would be made up because one of the people doing this *was* a sadist.

    There was also plenty of “rough play” from the adults where I would be held down, have my arm twisted behind me, be pinched and poked and grabbed. The boys of the family (I am a girl) were also given a fairly wide license to hit me, choke me, etc, with the justification being that it wasn’t a big deal because they were a bit younger and a bit smaller for most of our childhood. A couple of them were at different times allowed to “assist” the adults in “punishing” me by getting a few hits in of their own.

    The result? In my world, it was okay to hit other people. It was okay to inflict pain on them. There was no such thing as having absolute boundaries about your own body and people not being allowed to hurt it. There was no such thing as an absolute boundary towards not being able to hurt other people’s bodies. The idea of that sort of thing being respected would have been treated as absurd. It was okay and 100% normal to use force on someone else’s body in play. And it was okay and 100% normal, if the right “authority” okayed it, to harm someone else’s body, to hurt them on purpose, to punish them.

    And so when I was a kid, I believed that. I believed me getting hit all the time was something that many people would see as perfectly normal, okay, and no big deal. I had been told so many times over the years that I had zero right not to have this happening to me. It was crystal clear that the idea of respecting me in that way was seen as completely absurd. So I totally absorbed all of that. I didn’t see “rough play” as a fucked up or sociopathic thing to do, per se, even if it was really rough. I didn’t see hitting someone who “deserved punishment” as a fucked up thing to do, per se.

    When I came of age, and went out into the world on my own, I had to unlearn that, and it took years. I had to unlearn SO MANY things from my growing up period. That’s far from the only one.

    And I did unlearn it. I consider myself to be a respectful person who cares about others and does my best not to harm them, and I’m constantly trying to become better at that, and trying to grow as a good person overall, and improve the way I live in the world, and interact with it. I’m very different than I how I was when I was a teen.

    This is not to excuse Jon Hamm or anyone else, it’s just to put another perspective out there that I hadn’t seen yet.