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NOTE: This article contains sexual language and may be triggering for some readers. Please read at your own discretion.
In an emotional personal essay, actor Chloe Dykstra revealed years of alleged sexual and emotional abuse in a former relationship.
Entitled Rose Colored Glasses: A Confession, the essay chronicles the behaviour of one of Dykstra’s ex-boyfriends, believed by many to be Nerdist founder, Talking Dead and The Wall host Chris Hardwick. Various descriptors of the mystery man — his sobriety, his age compared to hers, his career trajectory — all point to Hardwick.
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In the essay, Dykstra said she began dating a man almost 20 years her senior in her early 20s (she is 29, Hardwick is 46) who quickly began displaying “controlling” behaviour and within two weeks imposed “rules” on her.
According to Dykstra, her nights “were expected to be reserved for him, as he had a busy schedule,” which alienated her from friends. Other rules imposed on her, she claimed, included her not being allowed to have close male friends, and she couldn’t touch alcohol. (After troubles with drinking, Hardwick quit in 2003.)
“I was not to speak in public places (elevators, cars with drivers, restaurants where tables were too close) as he believed that people recognized him and were listening to our conversations,” she wrote.
Dykstra was “terrified to piss him off, so I did what he said. Including let him sexually assault me. Regularly.”
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She wrote that the ex-boyfriend insisted on intercourse every night, even if she didn’t want it.
“I was expected to be ready for him when he came home from work,” she said. “Every night, I laid there for him, occasionally in tears. He called it ‘starfishing.’ He thought the whole idea was funny. To be fair, I did go along with it out of fear of losing him. I’m still recovering from being sexually used (not in a super fun way) for three years.”
Dykstra said she left him after three years of “being snapped/yelled at constantly.” After the breakup, she contends, her ex made moves to blacklist her in the industry.
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She went on to reveal that she contemplated suicide several times over the years, and said she still suffers intense trauma from the relationship to this day.
Dykstra concluded the essay by asking for an apology from the man, and warned him not to sue her because she has evidence.
“A sincere and heartfelt apology could have made my last four years a hell of a lot easier,” she wrote. “The person I used to date would try to sue me due to pride — I would not recommend it. I have audio/video that will support and prove many of the things I’ve stated in this post. I’ve chosen not to include it for your sake, in the hopes that the person you’ve become will do the right thing.”
Other people on Twitter supported Dykstra, and one woman even tweeted about her insider knowledge of Hardwick.
https://twitter.com/MildlyAmused/status/1007597967900016640
On Friday morning, Dykstra tweeted her thanks to people for their support.
On Friday, following the publication of the essay, Nerdist proceeded to wipe any mentions of Hardwick’s name or his work from their site.
Legendary Entertainment, which now owns Nerdist Industries, released a statement explaining their motivation.
“Chris Hardwick had no operational involvement with Nerdist for the two years preceding the expiration of his contract in December 2017,” read the 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.”
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Dykstra and Hardwick broke up in the summer of 2014. Two years later, Hardwick married heiress Lydia Hearst. Dykstra is now dating actor Robert Kazinsky.
None of Dykstra’s claims have been independently verified, and it has not been confirmed that Hardwick is the ex-boyfriend in question. Hardwick has not been charged with any crime.
As of this writing, Hardwick has not publicly commented on the essay. His reps have declined to comment.
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