Chris Hardwick is an American stand-up comedian who founded the website Nerdist that started as a podcast and grew to become a much larger company. Chris is also known for his hosting duties on NBC’s game show The Wall (AMC’s Talking Dead aftershow). Deadline reports that the 46-year-old has now been removed from holding any title on the Nerdist website after his ex-girlfriend Chloe Dykstra has opened up about three years of “long-term abuse."
Chloe shared a letter on the Medium, that did not label Chris by his name but with lines that read: “mildly successful podcaster” who grew into “a powerhouse CEO of his own company." She details how Chris restricted her from having male friends, speaking in public or going out late at night.
"I was expected to be ready for him when he came home from work,” she writes. “I lost myself, both mentally and physically. I lost 15 lbs within weeks, started pulling out my hair (and had to get extensions regularly to hide it). I generally stopped speaking unless spoken to while with him, drifting through life like a ghost. I would try to sleep in as late as possible so my days were shorter. I stopped listening to music entirely. I ceased to be. I was an ex-person.”
“Chris Hardwick had no operational involvement with Nerdist for the two years preceding the expiration of his contract in December 2017,” Legendary Entertainment (that owns Nerdist) says in an official statement. “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.”