Back in June, Chris Hardwick’s Walking Dead aftershow, Talking Dead, was put on indefinite hold due to sexual assault allegations. Hardwick’s ex-girlfriend, Chloe Dykstra, claimed that Hardwick emotionally abused and sexually assaulted her during their relationship. Along with the talk show, Chris Hardwick was also pulled from his duties at San Diego Comic-Con.
Today, AMC has announced that Hardwick would be returning to host Talking Dead this fall. The network gave the following statement to The Hollywood Reporter:
“Following a comprehensive assessment by AMC, working with Ivy Kagan Bierman of the firm Loeb & Loeb, who has considerable experience in this area, Chris Hardwick will return to AMC as the host of Talking Dead and Talking With Chris Hardwick, 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.”
Probably best known for guest appearances on The Walking Dead aftershow and her role in the hit-comedy, Community, Yvette Nicole Brown took over for Hardwick as host of several panels at San Diego Comic-Con. She was also set to take over as the host of Talking Dead this fall. Brown is still expected to host the August 5th edition of Talking Dead and will be one of the guests present when Hardwick returns to the show August 12th.
Hardwick denied these allegations of abuse last month, saying that:
“These are very serious allegations and not to be taken lightly which is why I’ve taken the day to consider how to respond. 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.”
Stay tuned to The Nerd Stash for any updates on this story.
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