AMC pulls Chris Hardwick’s show amid ‘troubling’ sexual misconduct allegations
AMC has pulled “Talking With Chris Hardwick” from its schedule amid sexual misconduct allegations against the ubiquitous TV host and founder of digital entertainment network Nerdist.
Actress and model Chloe Dykstra said in a Medium post published last week that she had been emotionally abused and sexually assaulted by a former long-term boyfriend. Dykstra did not name her alleged abuser, but the alleged three-year timeline and other details in the essay, which went viral, led people to speculate that it was the “Talking” host. Dykstra and Hardwick broke up in 2014.
In her post, Dykstra describes controlling behavior by her former partner, and says that she was “regularly” sexually assaulted. Hardwick strongly denied Dykstra’s account.
“These are very serious allegations and not to be taken lightly which is why I’ve taken the day to consider how to respond,” Hardwick told Deadline in a statement. “I was heartbroken to read Chloe’s post. Our three year relationship was not perfect — we were ultimately not a good match and argued — even shouted at each other— but I loved her, and did my best to uplift and support her as a partner and companion in any way and at no time did I sexually assault her.”
Hardwick also said that he was “blindsided” by the allegations.
Last Saturday, AMC said that it was removing “Talking With Chris Hardwick” from its schedule.
“We have had a positive working relationship with Chris Hardwick for many years,” the network said in a statement. “We take the troubling allegations that surfaced [last week] very seriously. While we assess the situation, ‘Talking with Chris Hardwick’ will not air on AMC, and Chris has decided to step aside from moderating planned AMC and BBC America panels at ComicCon International in San Diego next month.”
“Talking With Chris Hardwick” began as part of AMC’s after-show franchise, with Hardwick interviewing cast members and fans of popular shows including “Breaking Bad” and “The Walking Dead.” Last year, the network announced that Hardwick would host a broader, onehour talk show. “Talking” was scheduled to begin its second season Sunday with Donald Glover as the guest. Instead, AMC showed a previously aired episode of “Ride With Norman Reedus.”
Hardwick also hosts NBC’s popular game show “The Wall,” which ended its second season earlier this year, and has been renewed for a third. In a statement, NBC said it is “assessing the situation.”
“These allegations about Chris Hardwick took us by surprise as we have had a positive working relationship with him. However, we take allegations of misconduct very seriously,” the network said. “Production on The Wall does not begin until September, and in the meantime we are continuing to assess the situation and will take appropriate action based on the outcome.”
Meanwhile, Hardwick’s name has been removed from Nerdist.com, the website of the digital empire he founded in 2012. In a statement posted to Twitter, the site provided crisis resource information for victims of sexual assault and abuse.
The post also included a statement from Nerdist’s parent company, Legendary, which said that Hardwick has “had no operational involvement” with Nerdist for the past couple ofyears and that “he no longer has any affiliation with Legendary Digital Networks.”
“The company has removed all reference to Mr. Hardwick even as the original Founder of Nerdist pending further investigation,” the statement said.