The Nerdist Issues Statement on Chris Hardwick Situation

After the accusations leveled against media personality Chris Hardwick, The Nerdist has issued a statement.

We were shocked to read the news this morning. Nerdist prides itself on being an inclusive company made up of a positive, diverse community of people who come together to share, celebrate, and discuss the things we love. That type of behavior is contrary to everything we stand for and believe in, and we absolutely don’t tolerate discrimination, harassment, and other forms of abuse.

There are many ways you can help a friend or loved one who has been affected by abuse. There are resources and support available:

• National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (Free and confidential. 24/7.)
  Crisis Text Hotline: Text HOME to 741741 for free, 24/7 crisis support in the US.
• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) offers a National Sexual Assault Online Hotline to chat one-on-one with a trained RAINN support specialist, any time 24/7: online.rainn.org.
  National Suicide Prevention Hotline: call 1-800-273-8255, 24/7.
• If you are outside the U.S., an inventory of international domestic violence and abuse agencies is available on the Rape Crisis Network Europe: https://www.rcne.com/links/sources-of-help-for-survivors/

Our parent company, Legendary issued this statement:
“Chris Hardwick had no operational involvement with Nerdist for the two years preceding the expiration of his contract in December 2017. 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.”

You can read the tweet here, as well as the additional tweets with phone numbers and websites for victim support:

The entertainment company and brand also echoed the statement made by parent company Legendary, who previously commented on the situation stating that Hardwick “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.”

Chloe Dykstra, ex-girlfriend of Hardwick’s who wrote an op-ed on Medium about a former partner (she never actually names him, but it’s pretty obvious who she means), has also commented, urging readers to “be kind” to those who work for The Nerdist.

Before I take my break, I do want to address something re: the company he founded. As I understand it, the person has not been associated with that company for several years, and I hope that they will not suffer as a result of my essay. Be kind to them, they are good people.

— Chloe Dykstra (@skydart) June 15, 2018

Requests to Hardwick’s representatives have been made, and we will let you know as soon as any additional information is available about the situation.