Chris Hardwick is not quite out at AMC, but the network is taking action in light of allegations of abuse leveled by Hardwick’s ex-girlfriend Chloe Dykstra.
The network on Saturday announced that it will not air the second season of Talking With Chris Hardwick, which was set to premiere this Sunday night at 11/10c with guest Donald Glover. What’s more, Hardwick will no longer moderate planned AMC and BBC America panels at San Diego Comic-Con in July, where he was set to host both The Walking Dead and Doctor Who.
AMC’s full statement reads as follows:
We have had a positive working relationship with Chris Hardwick for many years. We take the troubling allegations that surfaced yesterday 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 Comic-Con International in San Diego next month.
The network’s decision comes two days after Dykstra, an actress and former Nerdist web host, published a blog post on Medium accusing an unnamed ex of emotional and sexual abuse during their three-year relationship; many quickly connected her account to her relationship with Hardwick. In response, Hardwick released a statement on Friday, denying that he ever sexually assaulted her.
AMC isn’t the only outlet cutting ties with Hardwick. His former company, Nerdist Industries, released a statement on Friday that insisted that Hardwick had “no operational involvement with Nerdist” for years, and scrubbed all references of him from its website.
The network has not yet revealed a decision regarding the future of post-Walking Dead talk show Talking Dead, which Hardwick has hosted since 2011. He also hosts similar post-episode discussion shows for fellow AMC dramas Better Call Saul and Preacher. Over on NBC, Hardwick hosts game show The Wall.
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