AMC(LOS ANGELES) — Chris Hardwick is returning to AMC.
The network announced Wednesday that after an investigation, Hardwick — the host of his own Talking show on the network, as well as Talking Dead and Talking Preacher — has been cleared of abuse allegations leveled at him by an ex-girlfriend.
The cable network had suspended him back in June after Chloe Dykstra penned an essay accusing him of emotional and sexual abuse during their relationship.
Dykstra did not mention her ex by name in her essay on Medium, but it was clear she was referencing Hardwick, whose alleged control issues made her suicidal. However, the host’s friends and fans rallied behind him, using the hashtag #IStandWithChrisHardwick.
In a statement issued to ABC Wednesdsay, AMC said, “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.”
The statement continued, “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.”
While he was suspended, Hardwick was replaced on a Walking Dead panel at last weekend’s San Diego Comic-Con by his friend and fellow fan Yvette Nicole Brown.