Who Is Chris Hardwick's Wife? New Details About Lydia Hearst
And how is she handling his ex's allegations?
Chloe Dykstra is Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick's ex-girlfriend of many years. She published a post on Medium detailing years of verbal and sexual abuse at the hands of a hinted at but unnamed ex-boyfriend. The thing is though, all those hints pointed directly at Chris Hardwick.
The entire Internet jumped to that conclusion and The Nerdist, which he founded, severed all remaining ties with him and scrubbed any mention of him from their website. Here's the thing, though. Since his breakup with Chloe, he's gotten married to Lydia Hearst. But just who is Chris Hardwick's wife and what's going on with this whole mess?
1. Who is Lydia Hearst?
Lydia Hearst is a 33-year-old model, actress, fashion blogger and the great granddaughter of newspaper and media mogul William Randolph Hearst. She is the daughter of Patty Hearst, heir to the Hearst Publishing fortune. Her father was a former police officer and bodyguard to Patty Hearst.
2. How did Chris and Lydia meet?
Hardwick met Hearst in 2013 during the production of a Talking Dead episode. Hearst was in the audience and after the show, she was introduced to Hardwick. The two talked about their dads. Hardwick's father had passed away from a heart attack the day before; Hearst's dad had cancer. He died a month after she met Hardwick. At the time of their meeting, Hardwick was dating Chloe Dykstra.
3. They didn't date until months later.
After that initial. meeting, Hardwick and Hearst didn't keep in touch. Several months later, a mutual friend encouraged him to call Hearst. In a 2016 interview with Harper's Bazaar, Hearst talked about the early days of her relationship with Hardwick: “I think I still have the first voicemail Chris ever left me saved on my phone (that’s right he actually called me, he didn’t text!) and I will never forget our first few dates. They were very sweet, and a lot of fun.”
4. He proposed with a candy ring.
In September 2015, Lydia walked into a room full of flowers lit by candlelight and Hardwick got down on one knee and proposed to her with a candy ring. Shortly after that, she told People: " Honestly, I’m over the moon and I’m still in shock. I’m so fortunate to be marrying the man of my dreams. I knew that I was completely in love with him and he’s the love of my life, but who knew what the future held? Then he swept me off my feet and asked me to marry him.”
5. He replaced that ring.
Hardwick had gotten Lydia's grandmother Catherine Hearst's ring from Patty Hearst. It needed to be resized, which is why he proposed with the candy ring. The night of their engagement, he posted the photo below to his Instagram account with the caption: “My biggest win of the night was actually @lydiahearst saying YES!!!! This ring belonged to her grandmother Catherine Hearst and @patriciahearst has graciously and wonderfully passed it down to me to give to Lydia. IT’S OFFICIAL!!! What an absolutely perfect and amazing night!! I love this woman with all my heart….#YesThisMeansWhatYouThinkItMeans"
6. They got married in 2016.
Hardwick and Hearst got married at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena on August 20, 2016. She wore a pink ombre custom Christian Siriano gown. He wore a Prada suit. Their vows were witnessed by 450 guests. They were married by the Reverend Edward Dumke, who married Lydia's parents. Actress Jaime King also officiated. Celebrity guests included James Corden, Olivia Munn, Sarah Silverman, Whitney Cummings, Craig Ferguson, Connie Britton, and Aisha Tyler.
7. She is very close to her mom.
Patty Hearst is best known for being kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army in 1974. She was arrested for her role in a bank robbery committed by the terrorist group. She was sentenced to seven years in prison. She served 22 months of her sentence. In 2001, she was pardoned by President Bill Clinton.
After Patty got out of prison, she married her bodyguard, Bernard Shaw. Lydia was born in 1984. Patty was married to Bernard until his death in 2013. Lydia Hearst spoke to the Daily Mail about her mother in 2008: “I am very proud of my mother — she is one of the greatest influences in my life."
8. Chris is accused of some pretty heavy stuff.
On June 15th, Lydia's husband was accused of emotional and sexual abuse by his ex-girlfriend. Chloe Dyksta posted a piece on Medium called "Rose Colored Glasses: A Confession." Dykstra dated Hardwick from 2012 through 2014. In the post, she said she had been abused by a man 20 years older than her. She said that man was fame-obsessed. She said he was sober. Hardwick is all of those things.
Dykstra claimed that from the start of her relationship, she was ordered to obey some ground rules which included not going out at night without him, not having any male friends, not drinking alcohol, and not taking any photos together as a couple. Dykstra wrote: “I was terrified to piss him off, so I did what he said…including let him sexually assault me. Regularly. I was expected to be ready for him when he came home from work." Hardwick demanded sex whether she wanted it or not.
9. The company he founded disavowed him.
The response to Dykstra's article was swift and decisive. Hardwick founded Nerdist. He sold it to Legendary Entertainment in 2012. Nerdist Industries issued a statement on Twitter Friday afternoon: "Like you, we were shocked to read the news this morning. Chris Hardwick had no operational involvement with Nerdist for the two years preceding the expiration of his contract in December 2017. 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.” Additionally, a number of Nerdist writers have quit in light of the truly disturbing allegations.
Hardwick and Hearst have yet to respond to the allegations against him.
Amy Lamare is a Los Angeles based freelance writer covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. She is deeply devoted to her chocolate Labrador and an avid long distance runner. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook