Kathy Griffin had a dramatic reaction to Chris Hardwick being cleared of abuse allegations
Chris Hardwick’s return to AMC’s Talking Dead was not happy news for Kathy Griffin.
The comedian was blunt in her response to the announcement that Hardwick will once again host the Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead aftershow, beginning Aug. 12.
FUCK THIS!!! https://t.co/updOxg7YLS
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) July 25, 2018
Hardwick was suspended a month ago, after his former girlfriend, actress Chloe Dykstra, accused him of emotional and physical abuse in a detailed essay. The season premiere of his show, Talking With Chris Hardwick, was yanked from the AMC schedule, his name was pulled off the Nerdist website that he founded, and he withdrew from panel discussions at last week’s San Diego Comic-Con.
However, the network has now cleared him after an investigation: “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 step.”
Hardwick always maintained his innocence and said he was “blindsided” by the accusations. His actress friend Jaimie Alexander helped circulate a petition, signed by more than 44,500 people, to bring Hardwick back.
Once he was reinstated, Griffin was far from the only one with something to say about it. Some referenced the situation of other men recently accused of wrongdoing like James Gunn, the Guardians of the Galaxy director who was fired by Disney last week, after racist and homophobic comments he wrote in old tweets, a move that was protested by many of his fans.
Here are some of the social media reactions to Hardwick’s return to AMC, including a supportive one from Hardwick’s wife, Lydia Hearst:
— Lydia Hearst (@LydiaHearst) July 25, 2018
The outpouring of fanboy/girl glee and triumph over Chris Hardwick getting his job back underscores the point that women have nothing to gain from coming forward. I expect Dykstra wrote her essay expecting Hardwick would suffer little to no consequences.
— Khaleesi Griff (@keltothelean) July 25, 2018
Happy Dance time!!!! @LydiaHearst @hardwick @PatriciaHearst and to us @hardwick fans WE DID IT!!! W00T!!!!! WE ARE SO HAPPY YOU ARE BACK #ChrisHardwick!!! We all fought for your innocence and we did it!!! Welcome back you are our therapist!!!! pic.twitter.com/MBlYxZnIYi
— 👑?💀Ashley 💀? 👑 (@Zombie_Queen80) July 25, 2018
Bringing Chris Hardwick back to host the Walking Dead talkshow is mystifying because:
1. There are so many equally qualified hosts who could do it instead and save AMC a heap of controversy
2. People still watch The Walking Dead?— rob trench (@robtrench) July 25, 2018
Glad @hardwick is returning to Talking Dead. The court of public opinion is not a real court. If his accuser had solid proof of crimes, then she should go to the police and utilize the legal process. It’s become far too easy to ruin someone’s career with a blog post.
— Chris Robinson NJ (@ChrisRobinsonNJ) July 25, 2018
“AMC Conducted an Investigation on Chris Hardwick” just means “Waited for things to cool down before admitting they’re doing nothing”
— VVO)))LFMAN (@TheWolfman) July 25, 2018
Thank you @AMC_TV!!! You looked at the facts and saw what we saw! No validity to the allegations made against @hardwick!! #TruthPrevails #IStandWithChrisHardwick @LydiaHearst @PatriciaHearst @NerdistMom pic.twitter.com/VEbKuxc1Fe
— Nancy Andrade (@nansanityfit) July 25, 2018
But sexual assault accusations ruin careers, right Chris Hardwick, R Kelly, Woody Allen and Donald Trump?
— HerRoyalHoeliness (@RoyalHoeliness) July 25, 2018
Chris Hardwick was cleared of any wrongdoing by firm named Loeb & Loeb. The firm has worked with Hearst corporation and family on several cases and issues, including seeking counsel last year in acquiring assets.
Chris Hardwick married into the Hearst Family in 2016. pic.twitter.com/Z2gSXU5lqp
— Sam Scovill (@samnotscott) July 25, 2018
Honestly, I don’t give a shit if AMC investigated Chris Hardwick and thinks he’s innocent. That’s believing the abuser and not the abused, and it’s a real bad look for AMC to bring back the guy that just caused all the controversy recently.
— The Day Is My Enemy (@GreatDestroyer_) July 25, 2018
an injustice has been corrected..Thanks to all that supported him.. His amazing family, his amazing fans and of course @AMC for seeing that the right thing was done for @hardwick Such great news… Now back to business!
— Suneita (@suneita) July 25, 2018
Johnny Depp and Chris Hardwick are such weird hills to die on like Johnny Depp hasnt made a decent movie in decades and Chris Hardwick is literally only famous for being a fanboy, and not even a particularly charming one what are you gaining by defending either of them
— Aurora? (@Valeskhahaha) July 25, 2018
Hey @AMC_TV, the decision to keep Chris Hardwick on is really bad, and I’m definitely done watching your channel.
— A Sleepy Boy, Nay… A Sleepy Man (@CaseyMalone) July 25, 2018
I refuse to support Chris Hardwick or any show/site that chooses to affiliate with him.
— Trey Lawson (@T_Lawson) July 25, 2018
I’m a huge Walking Dead expert, and the author of several books about it. Please book me as a guest on this show. I would never ask him why he’s a sexual tyrant and tell him to quit until they stop taping. I only care about the zombies or whatever. https://t.co/ipxpd88t9K
— Kaleb Horton (@kalebhorton) July 25, 2018
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