After launching an in-depth investigation into the sexual assault claims made by actress, cosplayer, and model Chloe Dykstra against multi-media guru Chris Hardwick, AMC has announced that Hardwick is scheduled to return at the host of Talking Dead with Chris Hardwick. After weeks of uncertainty related to the details of Hardwick and Dykstra's toxic relationship, AMC has issued a statement about Hardwick's return to the network.
“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,” the network said in a statement on Wednesday. “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.”
For the moment, AMC's plan is to have Hardwick re-instated as the host of TALKING DEAD for its August 12 premiere, following the mid-season return of Season 4 of FEAR THE WALKING DEAD. To that end, COMMUNITY vet Yvette Nicole Brown will still act as the host of AMC's THE WALKING DEAD Season 9 preview special on August 5th, and will join Hardwick as a guest on TALKING DEAD the following week. So far, Hardwick's reps have not commented on AMC's move to welcome their client back to the network.
As I was saying earlier, Hardwick was pulled from the popular program after Dykstra published an emotional piece detailing the alleged and disturbing nature of her former relationship with Hardwick. AMC took swift action when removing him as the host of TALKING DEAD, but now appear to be walking back their previous efforts to distance Hardwick from their brand.
Are you excited to hear that Hardwick is coming back? Do you think Brown's guest spot on the program will be awkward as hell? Do we even need a TALKING DEAD show? Let us know what you think of the outcome of this situation in the comments section below.