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“Talking Dead” host Chris Hardwick returned to TV for the first time since he was accused of being abusive by ex-girlfriend Chloe Dykstra, and opened Sunday night’s show with a brief statement of thanks to fans — without addressing the allegations about his actions.

“Hi, normally I recap the show we’re about to talk about here, but instead I really just want to take a minute and say I’m so appreciative to be standing here right now,” Hardwick said in the cold open. “I want to thank you, ‘The Walking Dead’ community, for all of your support these last couple of months. You know, this show is not just a job to me. This is a vital part of my life. This has been a sanctuary these last seven years we’ve been here. This has been with me through good times and bad times, and I have so much gratitude to you,...

A week after AMC announced that Chris Hardwick would return to the network and “Talking Dead,” NBC is confirming that the host will also be back on the Peacock’s airwaves.

NBC didn’t take any initial action on Hardwick, since he wasn’t on the network’s air when allegations were first leveled against the host, accusing him of sexual assault. But now, Hardwick will indeed appear on the August 7 episode of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” as a guest judge. He is also confirmed to continue as host of “The Wall” when it returns to the network for Season 3. (Production resumes this fall on “The Wall.”)

NBC declined comment on whether it conducted its own investigation or took its cue from AMC’s recent decision to bring Hardwick back on screen.

Hardwick was accused of sexual abuse by ex-girlfriend Chloe Dykstra in a Medium essay written last month.

Update: After conducting an internal investigation into sexual assault claims against Chris Hardwick, AMC has announced he will return to host Talking Dead and Talking With Chris Hardwick.  In a statement provided by the network to E! News, AMC stated, "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...

Just days after the conclusion of San Diego Comic-Con, where Yvette Nicole Brown moderated panels in Chris Hardwick's absence, AMC has announced they've cleared him to return to work.

On June 14, Hardwick's ex-girlfriend, Chloe Dykstra, posted an online essay alleging sexual assault and emotional abuse by Hardwick during their time together.

As a result, Hardwick immediately lost his position and affiliations at AMC and elsewhere while AMC began a comprehensive investigation into the allegations although he was not named in Dykstra's post.

Hardwick has adamantly denied all allegations, although he agreed that his relationship with Dykstra "was not perfect."

He also released some intimate text messages and emails he had exchanged with Dykstra in an attempt to give some perspective from his side of the relationship.

Related: Yvette Nicole Brown Replaces Chris Hardwick at Comic-Con Panel: Get All the Details!

In the meantime, in the event he was not...

Chris Hardwick is returning to AMC. The host was suspended by the network after allegations of abuse by an ex-girlfriend, but in a statement on Wednesday, the network said it had completed an investigation into Hardwick.

“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,'” the network said. “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.”

This means Hardwick will now be back as host of “Talking Dead” when it returns on August 12. Yvette Nicole Brown had been tapped to fill in for Hardwick during the assessment process, but will now appear...

AMC has finished its investigation into “Talking Dead” host Chris Hardwick and given the suspended TV personality the green light to return.

“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,'” an AMC spokesman told TheWrap. “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 will return as the host of “Talking Dead” in time for Its August 12 premiere, which follows the midseason return of “Fear the Walking Dead.” His interim replacement, Yvette Nicole Brown, will remain guest host for AMC’S “Walking Dead” Season 9 preview special on August 5, and will be...

Chris Hardwick has another defender.

Ex-girlfriend Jacinda Barrett said on Instagram Monday that Chloe Dykstra’s story “bears no resemblance to the one I shared with him all those years ago.”

“This past week I have watched someone I once loved and shared four years of my life with be publicly accused of misconduct and abuse, then swiftly fired and shunned,” the “Bloodline” actress said in her post caption.

Also Read: Chris Hardwick's Hard Times: The Silence From Those in His Orbit Is Deafening

“The accuser’s story bears no resemblance to the one I shared with him all those years ago, but what is of supreme importance here is that every woman and every man deserves a voice,” Barrett continued. “Accuser and Accused. Everyone deserves to be heard. A rush to judgement denies the right to due process; the Metoo movement deserves due process.”

Barrett and Hardwick dated in the 1990s,...

Lydia Hearst has released a statement standing by her husband Chris Hardwick following allegations of “long-term abuse” from his ex-girlfriend Chloe Dykstra.

“This is not a statement in defense, this is a statement of defense,” Hearst told People magazine on Thursday. “Defense for all the women who have been sexually abused, raped, trafficked, and tortured; defense of all the people who this movement was started for. Over the last year the #MeToo movement has rightly aimed a spotlight directly on women whose stories needed to be told. As someone who has been involved in toxic relationships in the past, I know first hand the importance of sharing these stories and do not take this situation lightly. “

Dykstra, an actress and host, shared an essay on Medium last week in which she accused a former boyfriend of emotional manipulation, controlling behavior and pressuring her into having sex with him throughout their three-year relationship.

Adam Carolla became one of the first celebrities to defend Chris Hardwick.

It happened on Wednesday when a discussion with columnist Aj Benza on Carolla’s podcast, “The Adam Carolla” show, turned toward the recent accusations posed against the Nerdist co-founder, who has appeared on Carolla’s show in the past. Carolla referred to Hardwick as a “gentle soul of a guy.”

Hardwick, a king in the geek media industry, was dealt a significant blow after actress and former Nerdist host Chloe Dykstra posted a Medium essay last week, accusing her ex-boyfriend of “sexual assault,” “controlling behavior” and career sabotage after their breakup.

Hardwick denied Dkystra’s sexual assault accusations in a statement the following day.

“First off, he’s a gentle soul of a guy,” Carolla said after acknowledging that people have been approaching him with questions about Hardwick. “Chris has always been a very thoughtful, sort of just gentle guy.

Earlier this week, Chris Hardwick was accused of sexual assault by his ex-girlfriend, Chloe Dykstra, and now, AMC is taking action.

The network confirmed on Saturday that the highly anticipated second season of Talking With Chris Hardwick would not be aired on the network.

The new episodes were set to debut Sunday at 11/10c, and Donald Glover was set to guest on the premiere.

In addition, he will no longer moderate the AMC and BBC America panels at San Diego Comic-Con.

You can read AMC's full statement below.

We have had a positive working relationship with Chris Hardwick for many years. We take the troubling allegations that surfaced yesterday very seriously.

While we assess the situation, Talking With Chris Hardwick will not air on AMC, and Chris has decided to step aside from moderating planned AMC and BBC America panels at Comic-Con International in San Diego next month.

Dykstra went...

Chris Hardwick is not quite out at AMC, but the network is taking action in light of allegations of abuse leveled by Hardwick’s ex-girlfriend Chloe Dykstra.

The network on Saturday announced that it will not air the second season of Talking With Chris Hardwick, which was set to premiere this Sunday night at 11/10c with guest Donald Glover. What’s more, Hardwick will no longer moderate planned AMC and BBC America panels at San Diego Comic-Con in July.

AMC’s full statement reads as follows:

We have had a positive working relationship with Chris Hardwick for many years. We...

AMC has pulled ‘Talking With Chris Hardwick” from its schedule while it asses accusations of abusive behavior made against him Friday by his ex-girlfriend. Hardwick has also withdrawn as moderator on the cable channel’s planned Comic-Con 2018 panels.

“We have had a positive working relationship with Chris Hardwick for many years. We take the troubling allegations that surfaced yesterday very seriously,” AMC said in a statement.

“While we assess the situation, ‘Talking with Chris Hardwick’ will not air on AMC, and Chris has decided to step aside from moderating planned AMC and BBC America panels at Comic-Con International in San Diego next month.”...

A day after allegations of emotional abuse and sexual assault were leveled against Chris Hardwick by an ex-girlfriend, AMC has decided today to officially pull the plug on their long time host’s talk show and appearances at San Diego Comic-Con next month.

“We have had a positive working relationship with Chris Hardwick for many years,” said the home of The Walking Dead in a statement on Saturday, one day before Season 2 of Talking With Chris Hardwick was set to debut. “We take the troubling allegations that surfaced yesterday very seriously. While we assess the situation, Talking with Chris Hardwick will not air on AMC, and Chris has decided to step aside from moderating planned AMC and BBC America panels at Comic-Con International in San Diego next month.”

Maintaining radio silence all day yesterday, the cabler had been under increasing pressure to address the premiere of Talking and its overall...

Following the mid-season 4 finale episode of Fear The Walking Dead, AMC has announced that the series will return with the first of eight more new episodes beginning Sunday, August 12th, meaning we won't have to wait too long to see where the post-apocalyptic road takes the survivors next:

Press Release: New York, NY – June 11, 2018 – AMC’s original series “Fear the Walking Dead” will return for the second half of season four, consisting of eight episodes, on Sunday, August 12 at 9:00 p.m. Et/Pt, as announced during last night’s “Talking Dead.” Critics have said “Fear’s” fourth season has “completely changed the game,” “…is deserving to be praised as one of the best shows on television, (Comicbook.com.), “feels like it’s been given a second life” (Hypable.com), and “has knocked me off the couch” (TV Line.com), among other critical acclaim.

The first half of season four...

"All Out War" resumed on The Walking Dead with the airing of the 100th episode last Sunday, with 15 million total viewers tuning in to see Rick and Negan square off at The Sanctuary:

Press Release: New York, NY, October 27, 2017 – AMC’s “The Walking Dead” returned for its 100th episode and season eight premiere Sunday night as the #1 show on television for an unprecedented sixth consecutive season, delivering 15 million total viewers, 9.3 million adults 25-54 and 8.8 million adults 18-49 in Nielsen live+3 ratings. The two-hour special episode of “Talking Dead,” conducted live in front of 6,000 fans at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, delivered 5 million total viewers, 2.9 million adults 25-54 and 2.7 million adults 18-49 in Nielsen live+3 ratings.

The season premiere of “The Walking Dead” now ranks as the top telecast this broadcast season among adults 18-49 and adults 25-54. “The Walking Dead” continues to significantly out-deliver top shows on fully-distributed broadcast...

AMC gave horror fans a lot to look forward to at the Television Critics Association Press Tour, announcing several in-the-works projects, including Shock Theatre, a sci-fi horror anthology series from director/executive producer Greg Nicotero:

Press Release: Beverly Hills, CA – July 29, 2017 – AMC announced today from the Television Critics Association (TCA) Press Tour a look at a current slate of select scripted and non-fiction projects in various stages of development for 2018 and beyond. New projects include many from existing AMC creative partners like “Better Call Saul” producers Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment, “Talking Dead” host Chris Hardwick’s production company Fish Ladder, “The Walking Dead” executive producer, director and special FX make-up designer Greg Nicotero, and “Fear The Walking Dead” star Colman Domingo, among others. These seven scripted projects for potential series consideration are among a broad number of projects currently being developed as part of AMC’s “scripts-to-series” model, which the...

Jesse Custer and friends may have their hands full trying to stay one step ahead of The Saint of Killers, but they have another force to contend with when The Grail, led by Herr Starr, gets involved with their quest for God in AMC's new Comic-Con trailer for Preacher Season 2.

Press Release: On Friday, July 21 at San Diego Comic Con in the Convention Center’s famed Hall H, Seth Rogen, Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga, Joseph Gilgun, Ian Colletti and Graham McTavish, along with moderator Chris Hardwick, gathered together to discuss the successful second season of AMC’s hit series “Preacher.”

Hardwick kicked it off with a just-released trailer showcasing what’s to come on the rest of the critically acclaimed second season. Halfway through the panel, the audience was surprised when the principal cast was joined by ‘The Grail,’ portrayed by Pip Torrens (Herr Starr), Julie Ann Emery (Featherstone), and...

Chris Hardwick’s days of burning the @Midnight oil are coming to an end.

Comedy Central and Hardwick have mutually decided to end the hashtag-themed late-night show after four seasons. It will conclude with its 600th episode on Friday, Aug. 4.

RelatedCable/Streaming Scorecard: What’s Renewed? What’s Cancelled?

“It was a little bit of the audience telling us over time,” explained Comedy Central president Kent Alterman in an interview with Deadline. “And we mutually thought, ‘You know what, maybe we should walk away holding our heads high and proud, full of appreciation and gratitude.'”

In a statement, Hardwick said,...

Survivors of the living dead apocalypse and Jesse Custer and his crew are coming to San Diego this July for AMC's Hall H panels for The Walking Dead, Fear The Walking Dead, and Preacher.

Press Release: What: The cast and producers of AMC’s hit scripted series “The Walking Dead,” “Fear the Walking Dead” and “Preacher,” and new docuseries “Robert Kirkman’s Secret History of Comics” will descend on this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego, CA.

In addition to official series panels, AMC will host fan activations throughout the weekend, including a “The Walking Dead”-themed booth (#4237) in the Convention Center, where fans can stop by to take photos.

Who: “Fear the Walking Dead” panelists include cast members Kim Dickens, Frank Dillane, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Colman Domingo, Mercedes Mason, Sam Underwood, Daniel Sharman and Michael Greyeyes along with Executive Producer and Showrunner David Erickson, Executive Producers Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd,...

Chris Hardwick is adding yet another TV show to his hosting plate.

NBC has ordered six episodes of The Awesome Show, an innovation-themed unscripted series executive-produced by Hardwick (who will also host) and Mark Burnett (The Voice, Survivor).

RelatedNBC Orders Handmade Series Hosted by Parks and Rec Stars

The program will feature groundbreaking scientific and technological advances, as well as their pioneers.

Hardwick currently hosts NBC’s The Wall, Comedy Central’s @Midnight and AMC’s Talking Dead, Talking Saul and Talking Preacher. He also has a new weekly talk show, Talking With Chris Hardwick, premiering this Sunday, April 9 at 11/10c on AMC.

Chris Hardwick is truly the man with many talk shows! Soon, AMC will introduce viewers to Talking with Chris Hardwick, which premieres on Sunday, April 9th! The lineup of guests is pretty interesting and includes Bryan Cranston and Elijah Wood. Also: details on screenings of Larry Cohen's films at The Quad and release details for Teenage Ghost Punk.

Talking With Chris Hardwick's First Lineup of Guests Revealed: Press Release: "New York, NY – March 30, 2017 – AMC announced today an initial lineup of guests set to appear on “Talking with Chris Hardwick,” an extension of the #1 talk show on television, “Talking Dead.” Guests include (not in air order): Michelle Monaghan, Charlie Hunnam, Connie Britton, Justin Theroux, Bryan Cranston, Elijah Wood, Damon Lindelof, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and the cast of “Silicon Valley.” Additional guests will be announced soon. “Talking with Chris Hardwick” premieres on Sunday, April 9 at 11:00 p.m.

Lip Sync Battle has already been renewed for a fourth season, to premiere in January 2018 on the Paramount Network (aka Spike’s new name for the new year).

Season 4 will feature 18 half-hour episodes with hosts LL Cool J and Chrissy Teigen cheering on the embattled celebrity guests.

Lip Sync Battle’s third season arrives Thursday, April 20 at 10/9c on Spike.

RelatedHeathers Reboot, Alicia Silverstone Series Leave TV Land for Paramount

Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets? Well…

* Netflix’s The Ranch: Part Three will premiere on Friday, June 16, picking up with Colt resolving his love triangle and divorced...