- Chloe Dykstra detailed years of sexual and emotional abuse in a personal essay posted on Medium.
- She didn't name her abuser, but the details she included led many people to believe it could be Chris Hardwick, who Dykstra was in a relationship with between 2012 and 2014.
- In the essay, Dykstra says she experienced suicidal thoughts, routine sexual assault, anorexia, and a terminated pregnancy.
- She also said her abuser sought to get her fired from the companies she worked with after they broke up.
In a now-viral essay, actress Chloe Dykstra detailed years of sexual and emotional abuse by someone who she was previously in a relationship with.
Dykstra didn't name the person in her essay, posted on Medium on Thursday. But based on her descriptions of the person and the timeline of events, some people on social media believe that the man Dykstra left unnamed is Chris Hardwick. The two dated between 2012 and 2014.
Dykstra is an actress and model known for the SyFy show "Heroes of Cosplay." Hardwick is comedian and production mogul who runs the podcasting empire ID10T, hosts several shows on AMC, and recently signed a production deal with Blumhouse, the powerhouse movie studio behind "Get Out." After a brief courtship, he married model and socialite Lydia Hearst in 2016. Both of them are familiar faces on the fandom convention circuit.
Dykstra said her experience — which she said included routine sexual assault, a terminated ectopic pregnancy, anorexia, and controlling behavior — drove her to consider suicide.
"One night, I found myself on top of an overpass, looking down at the 101, at the lowest point in my life," Dykstra wrote. "I'd lost many of my friends ... and the career I’d built from scratch had toppled — I was blacklisted from my industry at the age of 25. Obviously, I didn’t go through with it, but over the years I considered it many times."
In the essay, Dykstra said the man she was with made her life both restrictive and abusive, but explained that she went along with it because she was afraid to lose him.
"Every night, I laid there for him, occasionally in tears," Dykstra wrote. "He called it 'starfishing.' He thought the whole idea was funny."
Dykstra said she began the relationship when she was in her early 20s and the man was 20 years her senior. Dykstra was born in 1988, Hardwick in 1971. That — and other details about his career — led people to believe the essay could be about Chris Hardwick.
major, major TW on this for abuse, disordered eating and assault. Chris Hardwick is a monster and @skydart is brave as hell for speaking out, especially about how emotional abuse works https://t.co/U4vO9HFK9c
— rachel (@rachelmillman) June 15, 2018
Over the next four weeks or so, I suspect this will become the biggest news story surrounding SDCC and nerd fandoms, regarding one of Comic-Con's most ever-present - and wildly popular - personalities: Chris Hardwick. https://t.co/aGT6VrukTP
— An Englishman In San Diego (@EnglishmanSDCC) June 15, 2018
Jesus Christ, Chris Hardwick is a horrible human being https://t.co/5bOxVgwxkX
— Mr. Chau that's my name that name again is Mr Chau (@Srirachachau) June 15, 2018
As someone who writes for Nerdist, let me just say...Chris Hardwick is a piece of trash and I believe women.
— Donna Dickens (@MildlyAmused) June 15, 2018
Dykstra received an outpouring of support and tweeted her appreciation, adding that she "may take some time off the internet" after her essay.
I quietly posted an article today, unlisted on Medium. It clearly made the rounds. I’m overwhelmed and I want to thank all of you for your support and kind words- they mean so much to me. I may take some time off the internet, please know your support means everything to me.
— Chloe Dykstra (@skydart) June 15, 2018
Representatives for Hardwick, Dykstra, and movie studio Blumhouse didn't immediately respond to INSIDER's request for comment. You can read Dykstra's entire Medium essay here.
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