Yvette Nicole Brown To Replace Chris Hardwick On ‘Talking Dead’

Comedienne Yvette Nicole Brown will replace Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick as the interim host this fall. Entertainment Weekly reports that AMC, the home network for Talking Dead, is assessing Hardwick after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced.

In a June article for Medium, a woman named Chloe Dykstra described the behavior of her former boyfriend, whose name she did not initially disclose. She described the man as “more than a decade older than her” and someone who “went from a mildly successful podcaster to a powerhouse CEO of his own company.” Hardwick first rose to prominence as a host of the podcast Nerdist. Dykstra’s essay details controlling, emotionally abusive behavior from Hardwick. She alleges he “established rules” in their relationship.

“I was to not have close male friends unless we worked together … As he was sober, I was not to drink alcohol … I was not to speak in public places as he believed that people recognized him and were listening to our conversations … [and] I wasn’t allowed to take a photo of us.”

She also alleges that he regularly sexually assaulted her. “I was expected to be ready for him when he came home from work … Every night, I laid there for him, occasionally in tears.”

Dykstra and Hardwick allegedly broke up in 2014. She stated that she was “blacklisted” after their break up when he began to call the companies that she worked for, telling them to fire her or else he’d never work with them again.

After the story broke, Nerdist released a statement noting that Hardwick is no longer affiliated with their company and that they have removed all mention of him from their site.

AMC released a statement addressing the allegations and their plans for assessment.

“Yvette Nicole Brown will step in as an interim guest host of The Walking Dead Season 9 Preview Special on Aug. 5 and Talking Dead when it returns following the premiere of Fear the Walking Dead on Aug. 12, as we work to complete our assessment related to Chris Hardwick.”

AMC’s decision to temporarily replace Hardwick with Brown has met some backlash, with fans claiming she’s trying to take Hardwick’s job. Addressing the claims, Brown said that she’s just “filling in for a friend,” and has no intentions of permanently taking his position as host of the Talking Dead.

Though Hardwick has denied all allegations, he has agreed to step aside from hosting The Talking Dead and moderating Comic-con panels.