Mere weeks before this year’s massive San Diego Comic-Con gathering, it was revealed that AMC had replaced former The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead panels host Chris Hardwick with Yvette Nicole Brown. Deadline broke the news (and Variety later confirmed) that the Community star would be stepping in for the embattled comedian in light of the sexual misconduct allegations made against him by former girlfriend Chloe Dykstra.
According to Variety, Brown “is a well known fan of The Walking Dead and has appeared on the AMC aftershow Talking Dead numerous times.” Fans of the flagship zombie drama and its spin-off are well aware of her attachment to the two shows, however. As Deadline notes, the cable network has apparently “[listened” to the pleas of fans” who began calling for Brown to replace Hardwick as soon as the latter was scrapped from its SDCC panels and television listings.
In mid June, the comedian’s former girlfriend indirectly accused him of years of verbal and physical abuse in a long post on Medium. Readers quickly realized Dykstra was talking about Hardwick, prompting AMC and other networks he frequently collaborates with to respond. The comic has since denied the allegations, and many of his other exes have come to his defense.
