Chris Hardwick is in the clear in the eyes of AMC.
The cable network announced today that Hardwick will return to its airwaves Aug. 12, 2018, as host of Talking Dead for the after-shows of The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead, following an investigation into allegations he was sexually and emotionally abusive to an ex-girlfriend.
In an official statement, AMC said:
“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. 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.”
Hardwick (who also hosts the NBC game show, The Wall) had gone social-media silent @hardwick since June 14, when his multiple hosting gigs on TV and Comic-Con were taken from him after Chloe Dykstra penned an essay detailing his alleged behavior toward her during their relationship. He has since married Lydia Hearst, and Hearst, her mother Patti Hearst as well as another ex-girlfriend — former Real World-er Jacinda Barrett — all came to his defense.