Chris Hardwick’s wife, Lydia Hearst, has come out in staunch defence of her husband following sexual assault and abuse allegations leveled against him by ex-girlfriend and fellow geek personality, Chloe Dykstra.
The allegations, to which Hardwick responded, have also seen Nerdist, the pop-culture oriented media company he founded, sever all ties with him and scrub association completely. However, according to Hearst, he’s paying the price for insinuations which simply aren’t true.
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“This is not a statement in defense; this is a statement of defense — defense for all the women who have been sexually abused, raped, trafficked and tortured; defense of all the people who this movement was started for,” she said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. “Over the last year, the #MeToo movement has rightly aimed a spotlight directly on women whose stories needed to be told. As someone who has been involved in toxic relationships in the past, I know firsthand the importance of sharing these stories and do not take this situation lightly.”
“I have made the decision to come out in support of my husband not out of obligation, but out of necessity to speak the truth about the person I know,” she continued. “Chris is nothing but loving and compassionate and is the only person who has stood by me, never judged me, helped me heal and feel whole. To defend my husband would be giving credence to any of these accusations. I will not do that. Chris Hardwick is a good man.”
Hearst, who married Hardwick in 2016 after he broke up with Dykstra, reiterated her “complete support” by concluding, “I believe that the truth will always win. #TimesUp because I know my truth and I believe in due process.”
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Thus far, Hardwick has lost his Talking With Chris Hardwick show on AMC, and he’s also been removed as moderator of The Walking Dead, Doctor Who and Warner Bros. panels at the upcoming Comic-Con International in San Diego. NBC is also reevaluating his role with the studio as the game show host of The Wall.