Jon Hamm Opens Up About Prior Assault Charges: 'I Had To Rally My Mental Health'

According to the article, Jon was a student at the University of Texas back in 1989 when the incident went down. He joined the Sigma Nu fraternity through which he was involved in hazing a pledge so terribly that it led to the frat chapter being shut down.

Two years later in 1991, Jon, then 20-years-old, was served with a lawsuit claiming that he and his frat brothers lit the pledge’s pants on fire and physically abused him. Specifically, it alleged that they “hooked the claw of a hammer underneath his crotch” and led him around their “Party Room.”

When Jon, now 47, was asked about this incident in the interview, he denied the extent of what’s been written about it. “I wouldn’t say it’s accurate. Everything about that is sensationalized.”

The subject clearly still troubled the Mad Men star, who told the magazine, “I was accused of these things... It’s so hard to get into it. I don’t want to give it any more breath. It was a bummer of a thing that happened. I was essentially acquitted. I wasn’t convicted of anything.”

But he did own up to the role he played in the situation: “I was caught up in a big situation, a stupid kid in a stupid situation, and it’s a f***ing bummer. I moved on from it.”

The event was worsened by the fact that his dad was very ill at the same time—which also made him want to change his life. “My dad was sick. He ended up dying in the middle of all of this and I had to rally my own mental health and become a better person because of it. Everyone goes through a weirdness as a young person, especially in college, when you’re trying to figure things out.”

What do you think about what Jon had to say about his assault charges? Sound off in the comment section!