Chris Hardwick

Chris Hardwick Headshot

Actor • Host • Personality • Podcaster • Producer • Game Show Host

Birth Date: November 23, 1971

Age: 52 years old

Birth Place: Louisville, Kentucky

Spouses: Lydia Hearst

Partners: Jacinda Barrett, Andrea Savage, Chloe Dykstra, Janet Varney

In many ways, Chris Hardwick personified the "zero-to-hero" story arc that so many video games and comic book plotlines were based on. As a young man, Hardwick was the typical high school geek who preferred role-playing board games to working in front of cameras. His perception changed after moving to Hollywood and discovering his natural talent as a comedian. In the mid-1990s, Hardwick landed his breakout television role as the host of MTV's "Singled Out" (1995-97), a popular dating show that marked the network's transition from strictly airing music videos to reality and lifestyle programming. Hardwick parlayed his "Singled Out" success into the occasional acting appearance on scripted shows and in feature films, yet it was as a TV host that he truly shone. During the meteoric rise of digital media and electronic gaming in the 2000s, Hardwick reached a broader audience as host of the tech-based programs "Attack of the Show!" (G4, 2005- ) and "Web Soup" (G4, 2009- ). The self-professed nerd further increased his visibility by launching the popular "Nerdist Podcast" in 2010, a highly ambitious and personal Internet-radio show that expanded into television, books and other projects, establishing Hardwick as a multimedia mogul. This expanded out of the nerd culture niche into mainstream television as the host and moderator of TV chat shows "Talking Dead" (AMC 2011- ), the comedy quiz show "@ Midnight with Chris Hardwick: (Comedy Central 2013-17) and network game show "The Wall" (NBC 2016- ). In June 2018, Hardwick's status as the leading pop culture figure of geek culture was imperiled by accusations from ex-girlfriend Chloe Dykstra that Hardwick had been sexually and emotionally abusive toward her for the entirety of their three-year relationship. The revelation led to the end of Hardwick's association with the AMC network.

Christopher R. Hardwick was born on Nov. 23, 1971 in Louisville, KY to Hall of Fame bowler Billy Hardwick and real estate agent Sharon Hills. He spent his youth in Tennessee and Colorado as a math geek, president of the Latin club, and an avid fan of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. After his mother and stepfather moved the family to Los Angeles during Hardwick's senior year of high school, he enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles to study philosophy. While attending UCLA, Hardwick roomed with actor Wil Wheaton, who had starred in the coming-of-age drama "Stand by Me" (1986). A fellow member of the Chi Phi Fraternity at UCLA, Hardwick also launched his career as a stand-up comedian and built up his Hollywood résumé. One of Hardwick's first television appearances was a bit role on the ensemble drama series "thirtysomething" (ABC, 1987-1991).

In 1995, Hardwick landed his breakout role as co-host of MTV's popular dating show "Singled Out" alongside former Playboy Playmate of the Year Jenny McCarthy. Inspired by classic game shows such as "The Dating Game" (ABC, 1965-1973) and "Love Connection" (syndicated, 1983-1999), "Singled Out" featured a group of 50 men and 50 women who competed, based on mutual interests and timed stunts, to win a date with a blindfolded "picker" of the opposite sex. Hardwick's stand-up background and McCarthy's outspoken bombshell image appealed to MTV's Gen-X audience and established one of the network's first hit reality programs. Hardwick remained the host for the entire run, while McCarthy left in 1997 and was replaced by Carmen Electra. Hardwick's popularity as host landed him on several MTV specials such as "MTV Spring Break: Lake Havasu" (1995) and "MTV's Singled Out: Dirt on the Dates" (1996).

As one of the network's most eligible bachelors, Hardwick caught the eye of fellow MTV celebrity Jacinda Barrett, a cast member of "The Real World" (1992- ) whom he was briefly engaged to. After "Singled Out" went off the air, Hardwick continued performing stand-up and moonlighting as an on-air DJ for Los Angeles alternative rock station KROQ-FM. He made another attempt at acting with a lead role on the UPN sitcom "Guys Like Us" (1998-99) about bachelors Sean (Hardwick) and Jared (Bumper Robinson) who end up as the guardians of Jared's six-year-old brother. The series lasted only one season. Hardwick made a leap to film roles in the early 2000s, landing supporting roles in the horror feature "House of 1000 Corpses" (2003) and the action blockbuster "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" (2003). Still, the stardom he hoped for continued to elude him.

Hardwick's television career began picking up steam once again when he returned to hosting duties. In 2007, the cable channel G4 - aimed at young males, electronic game enthusiasts, and comic book geeks - brought Hardwick in as a commentator on its flagship comedy and talk series "Attack of the Show!" His widespread knowledge of technology and passion for playing video games made Hardwick one of the network's resident experts on gadgets, digital media and tech trends. Two years after making his "Attack of the Show!" debut, Hardwick began hosting the weekly comedy series "Web Soup." A spin-off of "Talk Soup," the popular and long-running program that launched the careers of Greg Kinnear and Joel McHale, "Web Soup" featured hilarious segments based around viral videos, news topics, and other Internet-based phenomena. Hardwick's took his success with the G4 demographic - even calling himself "Nerd Overlord" - and launched other projects close to his heart. He regularly contributed to Wired magazine, voiced several characters on the animated program "Back at the Barnyard" (Nickelodeon, 2007-11), and hosted "Talking Dead" (2011- ), AMC's "The Walking Dead" (2010- ) after-show.

In 2010, Hardwick created the online radio program "The Nerdist Podcast" where he and co-hosts and fellow comics Jonah Ray and Matt Nira discussed such pressing topics as video games, and superheroes. The podcast consistently held a Top 10 spot on iTunes and attracted guest stars including Jon Hamm, Zach Galifianakis, and the Muppets. In less than a year, the podcast grew into Hardwick's own tech and comedy empire, which included a website, a talk-show called "The Nerdist" (BBC America, 2011), a book titled The Nerdist Way: How to Reach the Next Level (In Real Life) (2011), and a brick-and-mortar "Nerdist Theater" in West Hollywood, CA.

In 2011, Hardwick began hosting a weekly chat show called "Talking Dead" (AMC 2011- ) that aired directly after each episode of "The Walking Dead" (AMC 2010- ) (and later, the spinoff "Fear the Walking Dead" (AMC 2015- )), discussing the just-completed episode with a panel of guests. The format expand to include episodes of "Breaking Bad" (AMC 2008-2013) and its prequel "Better Call Saul" (AMC 2015- ) as well as the Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg series "Preacher" (AMC 2016- ) before becoming a weekly talk show called "Talking with Chris Hardwick" (AMC 2017- ). During this period, he also hosted the comedy quiz show "@Midnight with Chris Hardwick" (Camedy Central 2013-17) and the network game show "The Wall (NBC 2016- ) and appeared in multiple TV ad campaigns. On June 14, 2018, actress Chloe Dykstra, who had dated Hardwick from 2011 to 2014, published an emotional account of emotional and sexual abuse by a former boyfriend who was not named in the essay but was clearly identifiable as Hardwick, and leveled allegations that her career had been harmed after the couple had split. All of Hardwick's AMC talk shows were canceled after the allegations were made public.

Credits

Up for Auction

Host
Reality
2024

KrapopolisStream

Guest Voice
Self
Series
2023
56%

The Walking Dead: Dead City Live From WonderCon

Self
Show
2023

Fear the Walking Dead: Live from WonderCon

Self
Show
2023

NBC: The Wall -- Chris Hardwick -- Exclusive Interview

Guest
Show
2023

BarmageddonStream

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Reality
2022

Halloween in Hollywood

Self
Show
2022

The Jennifer Hudson Show

Guest
Talk
2022

Access Daily With Mario & Kit

Guest
Show
2022

Tales of the Walking DeadStream

Host
Series
2022
74%

AMC+ Fan Experience

Actor
Show
2021

The Walking Dead Holiday Special

Host
Show
2020

Nice One With Ron Funches

Self
Show
2020

Lights Out With David SpadeStream

Guest
Talk
2019

Bo Burnham & Friends

Actor
Show
2019

Today With Hoda & Jenna

Guest
Show
2019

Red Nose Day

Host
Show
2018

Seth Rogen's Hilarity for Charity

Guest
Show
2018

Colossal Clusterfest

Host
Special
2017

Red Nose Day

Host
Show
2017

Talking With Chris HardwickStream

Executive Producer
Talk
2017

Talking With Chris HardwickStream

Host
Talk
2017

The Comedy Jam

Actor
Show
2017

The Comedy Jam

Guest Star
Show
2017

The Lego Batman MovieStream

Voice
Reporter No. 3
Movie
2017
89%

The LEGO NINJAGO Movie

Voice
Radio DJ
Movie
2017

The WallStream

Executive Producer
Game Show
2016

The WallStream

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Game Show
2016

Harry

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Talk
2016

Talking Preacher

Executive Producer
Show
2016

Talking Preacher

Host
Show
2016

Red Nose Day

Guest
Show
2016

ChelseaStream

Guest
Talk
2016
41%

Chris Hardwick: Funcomfortable

Actor
Show
2016

Talking Saul

Executive Producer
Show
2016

Talking Saul

Host
Show
2016

Not Safe With Nikki Glaser

Guest
Show
2016

Ellie Kemper: Unbreakable Comedy Gala

Actor
Show
2016

Ear Buds: The Podcasting Documentary

Self
Movie
2016

After Midnight

Host
Show
2015

At Midnight With Chris HardwickStream

Executive Producer
Game Show
2015

At Midnight With Chris HardwickStream

Host
Game Show
2015

Doctor Who: Extras

Host
Show
2015

The Jim Gaffigan ShowStream

Guest Star
Himself
Series
2015
80%

The Late Late Show With James CordenStream

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Talk
2015

Better Call SaulStream

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Series
2015
98%

Doctor Who: After Who Live

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2014

Doctor Who: Live Preshow

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2014

Garfunkel and OatesStream

Guest Star
Series
2014
100%

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonStream

Guest
Talk
2014

At Midnight With Chris Hardwick

Executive Producer
Show
2013

At Midnight With Chris Hardwick

Host
Show
2013

Talking Bad

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Show
2013

Shark After DarkStream

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Talk
2013

Whose Line Is It Anyway?Stream

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Series
2013

Hollywood Game Night

Guest
Game Show
2013

Sanjay and CraigStream

Voice
Craig
Series
2013

MaronStream

Guest Star
Himself
Series
2013
75%

The Walking Dead: Cast and Creators Live at PALEYFEST

Host
Show
2013

Chris Hardwick: Mandroid

Actor
Show
2012

Larry King NowStream

Guest
Talk
2012

Talking Dead

Host
Show
2012

Comedy Bang! Bang!Stream

Guest Star
Series
2012

The Legend of KorraStream

Guest Voice
Sokka
Series
2012
89%

The Nerdist

Executive Producer
Show
2012

The Nerdist

Host
Show
2012

The Nerdist: Year in Review

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Show
2011

LIVE with Kelly

Host
Talk
2011

Talking DeadStream

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Talk
2011

The Nerdist

Host
Show
2011

RidiculousnessStream

Guest
Reality
2011

Penn & Teller: Fool UsStream

Guest
Reality
2011

ConanStream

Guest
Talk
2010

The Walking DeadStream

Actor
Series
2010
79%

The Walking DeadStream

Host
Series
2010
79%

The Talk

Guest
Talk
2010

Access Hollywood Live

Guest
Show
2010

Scooby-Doo: Mystery IncorporatedStream

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Maxwell/Spanker Chief/Shadowy Ore
Series
2010

John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show

Guest
Show
2010

John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show

Self
Show
2010

LEGO: The Adventures of Clutch Powers

Voice
Bones
Movie
2010

Watch What Happens Live With Andy CohenStream

Guest
Talk
2009

Web Soup

Host
Show
2009

Kevin Pollak's Chat Show

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Show
2009

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Guest
Talk
2009

The Mother of Invention

Actor
Drake Wooderson
Movie
2009

The Bonnie Hunt Show

Guest
Talk
2008

Wired Science

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Show
2007

Back at the BarnyardStream

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Otis the Cow
Series
2007

Chelsea Lately

Actor
Talk
2007

Chelsea Lately

Guest
Talk
2007

Chop Socky Chooks

Actor
Show
2007

Chop Socky Chooks

Voice
The Ninja Chimps
Show
2007

America's Got TalentStream

Guest
Reality
2006

The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson

Guest
Talk
2005

The Life Coach

Actor
Milos
Movie
2005

Spectres

Actor
Sam Phillips
Movie
2004

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Guest
Talk
2003

Real Time With Bill MaherStream

Guest
Talk
2003

Jimmy Kimmel Live!Stream

Guest
Talk
2003

House of 1000 CorpsesStream

Actor
Jerry
Movie
2003
21%

Last Call With Carson Daly

Guest
Talk
2002

Jane White Is Sick and Twisted

Actor
Burger
Movie
2002

Shipmates

Host
Show
2001

CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationStream

Guest Star
Series
2000

Art House

Actor
Weston Craig
Movie
2000

Family GuyStream

Guest Voice
Johnny Lawrence
Series
1999

Comedy Central PresentsStream

Actor
Series
1998

Guys Like Us

Actor
Sean Barker
Show
1998

The View

Guest
Talk
1997

Courting Courtney

Actor
Tim
Movie
1997

Boy Meets WorldStream

Guest Star
Chris Hardwick
Series
1993

Married ... With ChildrenStream

Guest Star
Dan Inwood
Series
1987

Today

Guest
News
1952

News aboutChris Hardwick

Chris Hardwick
Q&A

Chris Hardwick on Capturing Disney Magic Through ‘Up for Auction’

Ben Stiller voices Prometheus in 'Krapopolis'

‘Krapopolis’ Recruits Ben Stiller, Susan Sarandon & More — Watch Sneak Peek (VIDEO)

@midnight Chris Hardwick

8 Clips Proving ‘@midnight’ Is a Worthy ‘Late Late Show’ Replacement (VIDEO)

Comic-Con

‘The Walking Dead’ Cast Talks Series Finale, Memories & Spinoffs at NYCC 2022 Panel

The Wall Season 3
Exclusive

‘The Wall’: Chris Hardwick & LeBron James Tease Biggest Season Yet (VIDEO)

Chris Hardwick

NBC Brings Back Chris Hardwick to Host ‘The Wall,’ Recruits Him as Guest Judge on ‘America’s Got Talent’

TF_618_0417_0180-RT

Chris Hardwick to Resume ‘Talking Dead’ Host Duties After AMC Investigation

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Yvette Nicole Brown to Replace Chris Hardwick in ‘Walking Dead’ Comic-Con Panels

Chris Hardwick and Chloe Dykstra at Spike TV's 'Guys Choice' Awards

Chloe Dykstra Speaks Out After Chris Hardwick Texts Revealed

gaffigan-brown-smith

5 Hosts Who Could Replace Chris Hardwick on AMC

NBCUniversal Summer Press Day 2018 - Arrivals

Nerdist Wipes Chris Hardwick From Site After Ex-Girlfriend Accuses Him of Abuse

red-nose-day-collage
Exclusive

NBC’s ‘Red Nose Day’: Which Stars Will Be There & How to Watch (PHOTOS)

Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan and Steven Ogg as Simon in The Walking Dead

Latest ‘Walking Dead’ Casualty Speaks Out—Plus, Fans React to [Spoiler]’s Death

Unknown-1
Exclusive

Sneak Peek at Chris Hardwick & More Stars in NBC’s ‘Red Nose Day Special’ 2018

The Red Nose Day Special - Season 3
Exclusive

Chris Hardwick to Return as Host of NBC’s ‘Red Nose Day Special’

@midnight with Chris Hardwick

Comedy Central’s ‘@midnight’ Will End in August

The Wall - Season 2
Exclusive

‘The Wall’ Returns: Will a Ball Drop Be Life-Changing for an In-Debt Doctor? (VIDEO)

Danger & Eggs, Amazon

First Look: Amazon’s New Animated Kids’ Series ‘Danger & Eggs’

America's Got Talent - Chris Hardwick, DJ Khaled

‘America’s Got Talent’: Chris Hardwick, DJ Khaled Announced as Season 12 Guest Judges

Talking with Chris Hardwick
Exclusive

Michelle Monaghan: I Had a Love Scene With Tom Cruise 3 Days After My Wedding

Chris Hardwick

AMC Gives Chris Hardwick a New ‘Talk’ Show

The Wall

‘The Wall’: LeBron James and Chris Hardwick Look to Change Lives in New Game Show (VIDEO)

Walking Dead - Austin Nichols as Spencer Monroe, Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan, Austin Amelio as Dwight

‘The Walking Dead’: How Rick and Company Are Living in Negan’s World

@Midnight w/Chris Hardwick featuring Comedian Chris Hardwick performs as part of the Wild West Comedy Festival
Q&A

Chris Hardwick Shares How ‘@midnight’ Comes Together