Did Chris Hardwick’s Mother-in-Law Patty Hearst Respond to His Ex’s Abuse Allegation?
Chris Hardwick seems to have his family’s support amid the fallout from his ex-girlfriend Chloe Dykstra’s allegations that an unnamed past boyfriend sexually and emotionally abused her.
Socialite Patty Hearst seemingly referenced the controversy Friday when she tweeted, “Beware the person who stabs you and then tells the world they’re the one who’s bleeding,” and retweeted articles about Hardwick’s denial, as first spotted by Deadline Hollywood. Her rep did not immediately return PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Hardwick, 46, married her daughter, heiress and actress Lydia Hearst, in 2016.
Dykstra, 29, wrote about her painful experience with sexual assault in an emotional first-person essay on Friday. She did not name her attacker but wrote that he is 20 years older than her and sober, leading fans to identify Hardwick.
“I was heartbroken to read Chloe’s post. Our three year relationship was not perfect — we were ultimately not a good match and argues — even shouted at each other — but I loved her and did my best to uplift and support her as a partner and companion in any way and at no time did I sexually assault her,” he said in a statement Saturday.
“I’m devastated to read that she is now accusing me of conduct that did not occur,” he added. I was blindsided by her post and always wanted the best for her. As a husband, a son, and future father, I do not condone any kind of mistreatment of women.”
AMC has pulled Hardwick’s show Talking with Chris Hardwick, and he’s been fired from moderating two panels at San Diego’s Comic-Con in July.
Patty — whose kidnapping and transition to revolutionary and back captivated America in the mid-1970s — invoked the #MeToo movement when criticizing a book about upcoming media projects about her experience.
In January, the 64-year-old said Jeffrey Toobin‘s unauthorized 2016 biography American Heiress “romanticizes my rape and torture and calls my abduction a ‘rollicking adventure.’ ” Plans for a film adaptation were scrapped after she spoke out.
