Jacinda Barrett Defends Ex-Boyfriend Chris Hardwick Amid Misconduct Scandal

Actress Jacinda Barrett has taken to Instagram to weigh in on the sexual misconduct scandal swirling around her  former boyfriend Chris Hardwick.

Hardwick was earlier this month accused by ex-girlfriend Chloe Dykstra of abusing and sexually assaulting her.

The TV personality and Nerdist founder denied Dykstra’s allegations, writing in part, “Our three-year relationship was not perfect — we were ultimately not a good match and argued — even shouted at each other — but I loved her, and did my best to uplift and support her as a partner and companion in any way and at no time did I sexually assault her.”

Despite his denial, AMC pulled his series, Talking With Chris Hardwick, which was set to return just days after Dykstra’s accusations went public, and removed him from moderating two panels at Comic-Con International in San Diego next month. Meanwhile, NBC, which airs the Hardwick-hosted game show The Wall, said it is still assessing the situation. Nerdist also removed all references to Hardwick from its website.

While Dykstra did not name the mogul ex-boyfriend she accused of abuse and sexual assault, Internet sleuths quickly deduced Hardwick was likely the subject of her claims ahead of his denial.

Barrett, who most recently starred in Netflix’s dark family drama Bloodline, dated and was ultimately engaged to Hardwick in the ’90s, back when he was hosting MTV’s Singled Out and she was known from her time as a Real World castmember and model. Barrett is now married to Suits‘ Gabriel Macht.

In her Instagram post, she calls out the court of public opinion for quickly determining Hardwick to be guilty.

“This past week I have watched someone I once loved and shared four years of my life with be publicly accused of misconduct and abuse, then swiftly fired and shunned,” she wrote in a caption that ended with Hardwick’s Instagram handle and “#chrishardwick.” “The accuser’s story bears no resemblance to the one I shared with him all those years ago, but what is of supreme importance here is that every woman and every man deserves a voice. Accuser and Accused. Everyone deserves to be heard. A rush to judgement denies the right to due process; the Metoo movement deserves due process.”

The caption accompanied an image of prose Barrett had written: “Imagine you are in a courtroom. A person walks in and in their own words reads a statement accusing you of wrongdoing. The punishment for this crime is to lose your livelihood, legacy, reputation and to be publicly shamed. Without examination of evidence, without due course the judge turns to everyone there and says what do you think? Guilty?”

Barrett’s post comes after Hardwick’s wife, Lydia Hearst, released a statement in support of Hardwick.

“This is not a statement in defense; this is a statement of defense — defense for all the women who have been sexually abused, raped, trafficked and tortured; defense of all the people who this movement was started for. Over the last year, the #MeToo movement has rightly aimed a spotlight directly on women whose stories needed to be told,” said Hearst in her statement, which was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. “As someone who has been involved in toxic relationships in the past, I know firsthand the importance of sharing these stories and do not take this situation lightly. I have made the decision to come out in support of my husband not out of obligation, but out of necessity to speak the truth about the person I know. Chris is nothing but loving and compassionate and is the only person who has stood by me, never judged me, helped me heal and feel whole. To defend my husband would be giving credence to any of these accusations. I will not do that. Chris Hardwick is a good man.”

Hearst, who married Hardwick in 2016, ended her statement by reaffirming her “complete support” of Hardwick: “I believe that the truth will always win. #TimesUp because I know my truth and I believe in due process.”

 

This past week I have watched someone I once loved and shared four years of my life with be publicly accused of misconduct and abuse, then swiftly fired and shunned. The accuser’s story bears no resemblance to the one I shared with him all those years ago, but what is of supreme importance here is that every woman and every man deserves a voice. Accuser and Accused. Everyone deserves to be heard. A rush to judgement denies the right to due process; the Metoo movement deserves due process. #metoomovement #dueprocess #chrishardwick @hardwick

A post shared by Jacinda Barrett (@jacindabarrett) on Jun 25, 2018 at 8:03am PDT

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