Lydia Hearst Says Husband Chris Hardwick Will Be Back on TV Soon

Lydia Hearst says her husband, Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick, will be back on television soon following an investigation the couple are "both extremely optimistic about."

"He's doing very well right now and I can only speak from my own experience, where the man I married was not the man who was written about in that article," Hearst told Variety at San Diego Comic-Con, where she promoted her new Z Nation character Pandora.

"I've known him to be nothing less than absolutely loving, compassionate, supportive, not just to myself, but to everyone he knows and works with. He's just a genuinely good man with a good heart. I can honestly say without a doubt that he will be getting back to what he loves very soon."

The fan-favorite host and comedian's relationship with AMC was suspended after Chloe Dykstra, Hardwick's ex-girlfriend, wrote an article for Medium detailing alleged blacklisting and sexual and emotional abuse suffered over a three-year relationship with Hardwick.

AMC distanced themselves from Hardwick during its investigation of Dykstra's allegations. Hardwick subsequently stepped aside from panel hosting duties for both The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead at San Diego Comic-Con and was replaced by Yvette Nicole Brown, a frequent Talking Dead guest, who was also tapped to serve as interim host on the live show when it returns August 12.

"His shows were only put on hiatus, and there is an investigation underway, which we're both extremely optimistic about," Hearst said. "I think fans can expect to see him back on the air soon, maybe hopefully back at Comic-Con next year."

"We have had a positive working relationship with Chris Hardwick for many years," AMC said in a statement released June 16, adding the network takes the "troubling allegations" surfaced a day earlier "very seriously."

In his own response to the allegations, Hardwick wrote he was "blindsided" and "devastated" by the accusations and that he "at no time" sexually assaulted Dykstra.

AMC pulled the sophomore season of standalone interview show Talking with Chris Hardwick ahead of its season two premiere after the network reportedly faced pressure from celebrity guest representatives who were "very uncomfortable" with their clients being associated with Hardwick in the #MeToo and Time's Up era of sexual assault and harassment enlightenment in Hollywood.

Guests for the eight-episode season included Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom star Chris Pratt, The Lion King star Donald Glover, and Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who serve as executive producers on AMC's Preacher.

Some Hardwick supporters launched a petition hoping to restore Hardwick's position as host on Talking Dead and beyond. The petition was signed more than 44,000 times in its first month online.

Talking Dead airs its next episode Sunday, August 12, following Fear The Walking Dead's mid-season return.