Chris Hardwick’s former fiancée Jacinda Barrett
stepped up to defend her ex amid sexual assault and emotional abuse
allegations.“Imagine you are sitting in a courtroom,” the Suits alum,
45, wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday, June 26, tagging Hardwick. .....
She continued: “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.” Barrett,
who is now married to Gabriel Macht,
was engaged to Hardwick in the ‘90s.
Chloe Dykstra, whom Hardwick dated from 2011 to 2014,
alleged in a Medium.com essay published on June 14 that an unnamed
ex subjected her to sexual assault and emotional abuse. “Every night, I
laid there for him, occasionally in tears. He called it ‘starfishing.’
He
thought the whole idea was funny,” the 29-year-old explained. “To be fair, I
did go along with it out of fear of losing him. I’m still recovering from being
sexually used (not in a super fun way) for three years.”
Several clues point to the 46-year-old @midnight host
being the ex in question, though Hardwick denied
the accusations in a statement to Us Weekly on June 15.
“These
are very serious allegations and not to be taken lightly, which is why I’ve
taken the day to consider how to respond,” he said at the time. “I was
heartbroken to read Chloe’s post.
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.”
He added: “When we were living together, I found out that
Chloe had cheated on me, and I ended the relationship.
For several weeks after
we broke up, she asked to get back together with me and even told me she wanted
to have kids with me, ‘build a life’ with me and told me that I was ‘the one,’
but I did not want to be with someone who was unfaithful.
I’m devastated to
read that she is now accusing me of conduct that did not occur. l was
blindsided by her post and always wanted the best for her. As a husband, a son,
and future father, I do not condone any kind of mistreatment of women.”
Barrett is not the only woman who has defended Hardwick
amidst the backlash. (Nerdist Industries cut
ties with the comedian, and AMC pulled his talk show after he was linked to
Dykstra’s claims.)
The actor’s wife, Lydia Hearst,
also released
a rebuttal via Instagram on Thursday, June 21. “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,” she wrote.
“Over the last year the
#MeToo movement has rightly aimed a spotlight directly on women whose stories
needed to be told. 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.”
The actress, 33, elaborated: “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.”
“I remain in complete support of my husband, and I believe
that the truth will always win,” Hearst concluded. “#TimesUp because I know my
truth and I believe in due process.”
No comments: