Chris Hardwick returned to host Sunday night’s (12Aug18) episode of Talking Dead after being cleared during an investigation into allegations of abuse from an ex-girlfriend.
The 46-year-old was dropped from hosting AMC’s The Walking Dead (TWD) after-show after Chloe Dykstra accused him of abuse and sexual assault in an essay published on news website Medium. Hardwick denied the claims.
Ahead of the post-show recap of TWD sister show Fear the Walking Dead, Hardwick addressed his absence, and thanked fans for their support after being reinstated by the network.
“Hi. Uh, you know, normally I recap the show we’re about to talk about here, but instead I really just want to take a minute, and I want say that I am so appreciative to be standing here right now and I want to thank you, the Walking Dead community, for all of your support these last couple of months,” a visibly emotional Hardwick began. “You know, this show is not just a job to me, this is — this is a vital part of my life, and this has been like a sanctuary these last seven years we’ve been here.”
He went on to thank the fans, producers and casts of both shows, and to share how grateful he is for being able to “be a part of this community every week”.
“And I’ve said the following words a million times, countless times, and yet I have never been more thankful than I am in this moment to say to you: I am Chris Hardwick and this is Talking Dead,” he said as he returned to the show which had been hosted by Community actress and TWD superfan Yvette Nicole Brown in recent weeks.
Following the investigation, Hardwick’s name was reinstated to the Nerdist website he co-founded.
