AMC has issued a statement today announcing that it’s removing several shows and events associated with podcast and talk show host Chris Hardwick—including the second-season debut of his talk show Talking With Chris Hardwick, which was set to air tomorrow night—from its schedule. The news comes in the wake of allegations made by actress and cosplayer Chloe Dykstra, who recently posted a Medium essay in which she gave a detailed first-person account of a sexually and emotionally abusive relationship with a podcaster turned media presence, one that many people have assumed to be Hardwick, her former boyfriend of several years.
AMC’s statement emphasized the network’s long “positive working relationship” with Hardwick, who hosts its Walking Dead aftershow, Talking Dead, but made it clear that the network takes these allegations “very seriously.” “While we assess the situation,” the network’s statement continued, “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.” (Hardwick is a well-known feature at Comic-Con, often moderating panels for some of the largest entertainment properties on the planet.)
Hardwick released his own statement last night, denying the claims made in Dykstra’s essay. He said he was “heartbroken” to read the piece, and stated that he had never sexually assaulted Dykstra.