Tuesday 14 February 2023

Variety: Investigation Discovery Inks Deal With Elizabeth Chambers to Host and Produce Show About Toxic Relationships

Story from Variety:

Investigation Discovery has inked a development deal with TV personality and host Elizabeth Chambers, Variety has learned.

Under the deal, Chambers — the ex-wife of Armie Hammer — will host and executive produce a series about toxic and traumatic relationships, which is currently in development.

A source familiar with the deal says the project will not specifically address Hammer. Instead, it will focus on stories from others with Chambers serving as host to navigate through those stories.

According to the network, the series will explore “the complexities of toxic and traumatic relationships” through “interviews and firsthand accounts of survivors.” The still untitled project will “investigate and shed light on long-held secrets, generational trauma and deep-rooted psychological issues” with the intent to “empower victims with control of their own narratives.”

The press release for the new series makes no mention of Hammer, though the president of Investigation Discovery notes that Chambers brings a “unique empathy to help elevate victim’s voices.”

“We’re big admirers of Elizabeth and know that this new series will resonate with our passionate true crime audience,” said Jason Sarlanis, president of Turner Networks, ID & HLN, Linear and Streaming. “Elizabeth brings a unique empathy to help elevate victim’s voices which perfectly aligns with ID’s mission to use its platform to share powerful stories of hope, resilience and survival.”

“House of Hammer,” a docuseries that delved into abuse allegations against Hammer, previously aired on Discovery+, which is the streaming service aligned with Investigation Discovery, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Chambers did not appear in “House of Hammer.” She has said she declined to participate in the docuseries, but told E! News that she watched the doc, describing it as “heartbreaking on so many levels and very painful.”

Chambers was married to Hammer for 10 years, and the couple shares two children. After they split, Hammer was accused of sexual and emotional abuse by multiple women who said he had cannibalistic fetishes. The actor recently broke his silence in Air Mail, attempting to tell his side of the story in his first interview in two years. Days after Hammer’s interview, Elle published a piece with Chambers where she spoke about her life after Hammer, titled “Elizabeth Chambers Is Not Who She Married.”

Last year, Investigation Discovery launched its “No Excuse for Abuse” campaign to bring awareness to the complex dynamics of domestic violence.