Did Chloe Dykstra Just Accuse Ex-Boyfriend Chris Hardwick of ‘Long-Term Abuse,’ Career Blacklisting?
Actress and TV personality Chloe Dykstra on Thursday unloaded a long and emotional essay accusing an unnamed ex-boyfriend of “long-term abuse” and career blacklisting.
Although she does not name the subject of her essay on Medium, the timing and key details suggest that she is referring to ex-boyfriend Chris Hardwick, the host of AMC’s “Walking Dead” after-shows and Comedy Central’s now-canceled “@Midnight” who built his love of geekdom into a veritable empire through his Nerdist Industries.
In her essay, titled “Rose-Colored Glasses: A Confession,” the 29-year-old said that when she was in her early 20s she dated a man “almost 20 years my senior” who displayed what she called “controlling behavior” — including ordering her to remain in their hotel room while he attended parties at San Diego Comic-Con.
Dykstra, who co-hosted the cosplay show “Just Cos” on Nerdist’s YouTube channel, said she was “quickly pressured to take an on-camera job at his company I didn’t want.”
She also accused the man of pressuring her into sex against her will, though she wrote, “To be fair, I did go along with it out of fear of losing him.”
Dykstra wrote that “after three years of being snapped/yelled at constantly, very rarely being shown any affection- I finally left him.”
But Dykstra said that after the breakup, the man “made calls to several companies I received regular work from to get me fired by threatening to never work with them. He succeeded. I was blacklisted.”
Also Read:Chris Hardwick Launches New Production Banner With Jason Blum
She added, “A sincere and heartfelt apology could have made my last four years a hell of a lot easier.” The former couple announced their split via companion tweets in 2014. Hardwick, now 46, married heiress-actress Lydia Hearst in 2016.
Reps for Hardwick and AMC did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s requests for comment. A rep for Dykstra also did not respond to a request for comment.
Dykstra, the daughter of Oscar-winning special-effects artist John Dykstra, also tweeted her thanks to well-wishers for “your support and kind words.”
I quietly posted an article today, unlisted on Medium. It clearly made the rounds. I’m overwhelmed and I want to thank all of you for your support and kind words- they mean so much to me. I may take some time off the internet, please know your support means everything to me.
— Chloe Dykstra (@skydart) June 15, 2018
Related stories from TheWrap:
Chris Hardwick Launches New Production Banner With Jason Blum
Chris Hardwick Says Goodbye to '@Midnight' With Finale: I'll Miss It 'as a Host AND as a Comedy Fan'