By Libby Hill
Los Angeles Times
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) On Thursday, Chris Hardwick’s former girlfriend Chloe Dykstra posted an essay on Medium titled “Rose-Colored Glasses: A Confession,” in which she detailed an allegedly abusive past relationship with a man who “grew from a mildly successful podcaster to a powerhouse CEO of his own company.”
Los Angeles Times
Chris Hardwick’s name no longer adorns the Nerdist website he founded, after abuse accusations were levied against an unnamed person by his former girlfriend Chloe Dykstra.
Legendary Entertainment, which acquired Nerdist Industries in 2012, issued a statement on Friday, addressing Hardwick’s absence.
“Chris Hardwick had no operational involvement with Nerdist for the two years preceding the expiration of his contract in December 2017,” the statement read.
“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,” it concluded.
On Thursday, Dykstra posted an essay on Medium titled “Rose-Colored Glasses: A Confession,” in which she detailed an allegedly abusive past relationship with a man who “grew from a mildly successful podcaster to a powerhouse CEO of his own company.”
Though Dykstra, an actress and TV personality, never addressed Hardwick by name, details, including that she was “quickly pressured to take an on-camera job at his company,” were enough for many on the internet to make a guess.
Dykstra hosted “Just Cos” for Nerdist Industries’ YouTube channel and previously dated Hardwick.
In her essay, Dykstra alleges various forms of mental and sexual abuse, including “being snapped/yelled at constantly, very rarely being shown any affection” and “expected to be ready for him [sexually] when he came home from work.”
As of Friday afternoon, Hardwick had not publicly responded regarding the allegations.
Representatives for Hardwick did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment, nor did reps for NBC, AMC and BBC.
As the reigning prince of nerd culture, Hardwick has a bevy of hosting gigs both current and upcoming.
On Thursday, BBC announced that Hardwick would be hosting the “Doctor Who” panel at San Diego Comic-Con, which will officially introduce the world to the first female Doctor, as played by Jodie Whittaker.
On Sunday, Hardwick’s AMC interview series “Talking With Chris Hardwick” debuts its second season, which takes the place of the Hardwick-hosted “Talking Dead” when “The Walking Dead” and “Fear the Walking Dead” are not in season.
In March, NBC announced the renewal of “The Wall,” its game show that Hardwick executive produces and hosts, for a 20-episode third season.
