Hardwick Return Signals Brands Still Not Sure How to Manage Allegations

Ronn Torossian, CEO, 5WPR

After his very public ousting from his TV hosting gig with AMC, Chris Hardwick will be heading back on the job. AMC recently announced that they have completed a review of the sexual assault allegations leveled against the popular comic and TV host by his former girlfriend, Chloe Dykstra.

According to Dykstra, their relationship was very bad for her, and included sexual assault and emotional abuse. When Dykstra made those allegations, on a now-viral social media post, fans quickly deduced that the unnamed “ex” was, in fact, Hardwick. When the news got out, Hardwick was quick to deny the allegations, but AMC was even faster to suspend the host, pending investigation.

A “substitute host,” Yvette Nicole Brown, was hired to fill in until the investigation was complete, and many people assumed Hardwick would be just one more guy whose career was derailed after accusations of sexual misconduct. These assumptions were further cemented when Hardwick elected not to head out to Comic Con in San Diego, where he has been a prominent figure in recent years.

Now, though, AMC has completed its investigation, in which the network says it spoke to “numerous people.” The verdict: Hardwick is back on the job, in a move the network described as “the appropriate step” to take after their investigation concluded.

The verdict, as you might imagine, has fans just as split as they were when the initial suspension was announced. Some are celebrating what they see as the right decision, others are saying Hardwick should have never been suspended in the first place if there wasn’t any way to corroborate the allegations.

These questions are beginning to reverberate across the entertainment industry as more and more big names are being suspended or outright fired due to allegations, out of context quotes, or misfires on social media. From Roseanne to James Gunn, entertainment brands are firing first and asking questions later. Meanwhile, other industries have taken a more careful approach to dealing with potential consumer outrage.

So that begs the question: How should entertainment brands and others deal with potential PR powder kegs? Should anyone who has ever tweeted or said anything potentially objectionable be immediately fired? Or, should there be a very public investigation announcement after which a very public verdict is rendered? What’s better for the brand and for the personality in question? At this point, it looks like networks and production companies are still trying to figure it out.

About the Author: PR executive Ronn Torossian is also author of “For Immediate Release.”