This One Mention Of Chris Hardwick At Comic-Con Was Telling

July 27, 2018 at 1:45 AM

“Talking Dead” host Chris Hardwick will return to AMC following an internal investigation into sexual abuse allegations, the network announced.

“We take these matters very seriously, and given the information available to us after a very careful review, including interviews with numerous individuals, we believe returning Chris to work is the appropriate step,” the network said in a statement on Wednesday.

Other than its announcement, AMC has been mostly quiet on the subject of Hardwick. He wasn’t mentioned at the network’s press summit in June, or during last week’s “Fear the Walking Dead” and “The Walking Dead” panels and press conferences at San Diego Comic-Con.

In fact, Hardwick was almost completely ignored by AMC and “The Walking Dead” at Comic-Con, save for one telling comment from executive producer David Alpert.

In an interview at Comic-Con, HuffPost asked Alpert about Hardwick’s absence, and he offered the “Talking Dead” host some support, saying, “I love Chris. He’s a dear friend. I’m sad this is happening, but we have to figure out what’s going on, and I wish him all the best. I want him back. I miss Chris. I love Chris, so I hope everything sorts itself out.”

Alpert’s comments echo many other statements by celebrity friends and some of Hardwick’s ex-girlfriends, who have vouched for the Nerdist Industries founder in the wake of the allegations.

The decision to bring Hardwick back was likely made before Comic-Con. Prior to the pop-culture festival, HuffPost reached out for an interview with “Community” star and “Walking Dead” super fan Yvette Nicole Brown, the interim “Talking Dead” host scheduled to take over for Hardwick in his absence. Brown on July 4 tweeted that she was just “filling in for a friend” and hoped that “God’s Will is done.”

At the time, Brown’s rep told us she was only set to host two episodes. Now, she will only host the “Walking Dead” preview special on Aug. 5.

I will say this once. I am filling in for a friend, which I have done before. I am not jockeying for a job. I have enough of my own. It is my prayer that God's Will is done in the midst of this process & that everyone is okay. My character is known & sound. Nothing has changed.
— yvette nicole brown (@YNB) July 4, 2018

Lydia Hearst, Hardwick’s wife, also hinted he’d return to TV in an interview at Comic-Con. “He will be getting back to what he loves very soon,” she said.

The allegations against Hardwick stem from a June post on Medium by actress Chloe Dykstra, who described disturbing emotional and sexual abuse she suffered in a past relationship. Though she didn’t name the abuser, many readers took it as a reference to her three-year relationship with Hardwick.

Hardwick denied the allegations in a statement.

However, the response from AMC was swift, removing Hardwick from his various “Talking” shows. He also supposedly agreed to step aside from Comic-Con panel hosting duties until the investigation was complete.

Following the reports of Hardwick’s return, many tweeted support for Dykstra.

I still believe Chloe Dykstra. If you don't like it, you're welcome to fuck yourself with a rusted pair of garden shears.
— Donna Dickens (@MildlyAmused) July 25, 2018

FUCK THIS!!! https://t.co/updOxg7YLS
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) July 25, 2018

She had more to lose in this situation than he did and this decision by @amc highlights that. His career is fine and now people are calling her names and she takes abuse daily. I believed her then and I believe her now.
— bluemilkgeek (@IheartLeGeek) July 25, 2018

AMC reinstating Hard*ick means nothing. Let’s not forget the ONLY claim he denied from @skydart’s essay was the claim of sexual assault. His trainwreck of a statement —the one where he gaslights her & continues his cycle of abuse doesn’t deny the emotional abuse claims.
— Kris. (@voodootwins) July 25, 2018

like Team Seacrest before them, Team Hardwick will spin this as a full exoneration. much like that case, this was a company paying a ton of money with a clearly preferred outcome on the table. believe what you will. I believe Suzie Hardy, and I believe Chloe Dykstra
— Owen Ellickson (@onlxn) July 25, 2018

I don't know what AMC found or didn't find in their investigation. I don't know what really happened.

But I know people commenting on @skydart's posts with toxic and evil non-sense is not any sort of solution or something either party will gain from. That is part of the problem.
— Brandon Davis (@BrandonDavisBD) July 25, 2018