Nerdist Industries, the content company founded by Chris Hardwick, severed all ties with the comedian on Friday, June 15, one day after actress Chloe Dykstra accused an ex – unnamed, but assumed to be Hardwick – of sexual assault.
“Chris Hardwick had no operational involvement with Nerdist for the two years preceding the expiration of his contract in December 2017. 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,” a Legendary spokesperson told Us Weekly in a statement on Friday.
The company also tweeted the below:
— Nerdist (@nerdist) June 15, 2018
Dykstra, 29, penned an essay for Medium.com on Thursday, June 14, titled “Rose-Colored Glasses: A Confession,” in which she claimed that an ex-boyfriend had sexually assaulted her and emotionally abused her throughout their relationship. She did not name the subject in the essay, but due to the timing and details revealed, many Twitter users have pointed to the 46-year-old Talking Dead host.
Additionally, one user tweeted her story with the caption, “Chris Hardwick is trash,” she “liked” the tweet. In her essay, the actress, 29, explains that she was in her twenties and dating a man nearly 20 years older who went from “a podcaster to a powerhouse CEO of his own company.”
Dykstra accuses her ex of sexually assaulting her multiple times. She wrote that after they began dating, she once turned down sex because she wasn’t feeling well. “He responded, ‘I just want to remind you, the reason my last relationship didn’t work out was because of the lack of sex.’ It was a veiled threat. I succumbed,” she wrote. “Every night, I laid there for him, occasionally in tears. He called it ‘starfishing.’ He thought the whole idea was funny.”
She also claimed that he was extremely controlling, setting rules – including no alcohol, no male friends and no speaking in public places. When they attended San Diego Comic Con together, she was allegedly instructed to stay in the hotel. Three years into their relationship, she left him for another man, and she claims he ruined her career.
“Because of my leaving him for someone else, he made calls to several companies I received regular work from to get me fired by threatening to never work with them. He succeeded,” she wrote. “I was blacklisted. With the assistance of a woman who’d gained my trust and my heart over the past year, he steamrolled my career. The woman actively made it her mission to destroy my friendships. And she did, because by the time they’d realized she was… an unreliable source… the damage had already been done.”
I quietly posted an article today, unlisted on Medium. It clearly made the rounds. I’m overwhelmed and I want to thank all of you for your support and kind words- they mean so much to me. I may take some time off the internet, please know your support means everything to me.
— Chloe Dykstra (@skydart) June 15, 2018
Dykstra also detailed a time when she had an ectopic pregnancy and had to get surgery. “When I found out, I collapsed on the floor, terrified he would be furious with me. Between sobs I told him over the phone, “Please don’t be mad, and don’t worry, I have to have surgery to have it removed or it could kill me at any time,’” she wrote. “My fear of his anger at me for getting pregnant was literally greater than my fear of death”
After surgery and her recovery, her ex allegedly said – in front of her mother – “That’s great. When do you think I can have sex with her again?”
Dykstra has not spoken out since posting the article, except one tweet on Thursday, June 14: “I quietly posted an article today, unlisted on Medium. It clearly made the rounds. I’m overwhelmed and I want to thank all of you for your support and kind words- they mean so much to me. I may take some time off the internet, please know your support means everything to me.”
I’m so sorry you endured this .@skydart and applaud your bravery for speaking your truth. So much of what you wrote resonates with me and I’m sure way too many others. #metoo thanks @RobertKazinsky for sharing and to all the men out there who actually have our backs. https://t.co/KGollTgCoE
— Anna Paquin (@AnnaPaquin) June 15, 2018
After being shared by actor Robert Kazinsky, the story also caught the eye of Anna Paquin. “I’m so sorry you endured this .@skydart and applaud your bravery for speaking your truth. So much of what you wrote resonates with me and I’m sure way too many others. #metoo thanks @RobertKazinsky for sharing and to all the men out there who actually have our backs,” she tweeted.
Hardwick has not responded to Us Weekly’s request for comment.
