AMC has reportedly chosen Community star Yvette Nicole Brown to replace Chris Hardick as moderator of The Walking Dead panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego.
Brown, a Walking Dead devotee, is a familiar face to fans of the hit drama as a frequent guest on the after-show Talking Dead. The network has yet to make an announcement, but Deadline contends it’s a done deal for her to lead the Hall H panel, where traditionally the first trailer for the upcoming season is screened.
Yvette Nicole Brown on Talking Dead
AMC was quick to respond last month following allegations by Hardwick’s ex-girlfriend, actor and cosplayer Choe Dykstra, that she was physically, sexually and emotionally abused by him. Shortly after Hardwick issued a statement denying the accusations, the network announced he would no longer be moderating its Walking Dead panel and BBC’s Doctor Who presentation at Comic-Con, and that it had pulled the Season 2 premiere of Talking with Chris Hardwick from its programming schedule. A rerun of Ride with Norman Reedus aired in its place.
RELATED: Walking Dead’s New Showrunner Just Confirmed Season 9 Time Jump
Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment also announced Hardwick won’t return to host any of their panels at the San Diego convention. There’s been no word about the future of AMC’s Talking Dead, hosted each week by Hardwick after each episode of The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead.
According to Deadline, the July 20 Walking Dead panel is expected to feature Walking Dead stars Andrew Lincoln, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Norman Reedus, Fear the Walking Dead stars Kim Dickens, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Colman Domingo and Lennie James, executive producers Anne Hurd and Robert Kirkman, and new Walking Dead showrunner Angela Kang.