Chloe Dykstra

Chloe Dykstra
Dykstra speaking at Wondercon 2012 in Anaheim, California.
Born
Chloe Frances Dykstra

(1988-09-15) September 15, 1988 (age 36)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Film, television, podcast
Years active2001–present
Known forHeroes of Cosplay (2011)
FatherJohn Dykstra

Chloe Frances Dykstra (born September 15, 1988) is an American cosplayer, model and actress. She produced and co-hosted the web series Just Cos for the Nerdist Industries' YouTube channel and is a cast member of the SYFY show Heroes of Cosplay. She is also a freelance game journalist for several websites.[1] In June 2018, Dykstra received media attention following an article she wrote on Medium detailing her alleged abuse from a former partner, subsequently identified as Chris Hardwick.

Early life

Dykstra was born in Los Angeles, California, and is the daughter of American special effects artist John Dykstra.

Cosplay

Long before joining the team of cosplayers in Heroes of Cosplay, Chloe Dykstra made and exhibited a variety of cosplay characters. Characters include video game characters such as Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, Aela the Huntress from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, GLaDOS [2] from Portal and Elizabeth from BioShock. She has also cosplayed as a steampunk avatar from Minecraft, Doctor Who's Clara Oswald, and fem 11th Doctor. She also played the role of Triple H in a YouTube video by Max Landis called "Wrestling Isn't Wrestling".[3] Dykstra produced and co-hosted the Nerdist Industries cosplay focused web series Just Cos.[4]

Dykstra was featured in a Daily Dot article for her parody photo essay of Me In My Place pin-up blog photos.[5]

Acting

Dykstra appeared in the 2002 film Spider-Man as a passenger on a gondola, and its 2004 sequel, Spider-Man 2 as a passenger on the train. She had her first major acting role starring as Cello Shea in the film Diminuendo opposite Battlestar Galactica star Richard Hatch.

In July 2021, Dykstra played the role of Mrs. O’Hara in the music video for "Holier than Thou", a Metallica cover song by the punk band Off!.[6]

Personal life

In a June 2018 article on Medium, Dykstra alleged that she had been subjected to emotional and sexual abuse by a former partner for three years.[7][8][9] She also said that, on leaving the relationship, she was blacklisted by her former partner and as a result was denied employment opportunities.[7] Dykstra did not name her abusive former partner, but other media outlets used descriptive and timeline information from her article to conclude that it was Chris Hardwick, including the abuser being nearly 20 years her senior (Hardwick is nearly 17 years older).[10][11]

Hardwick has denied Dykstra's allegations, saying, "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."[12][13][14] Three former girlfriends and his wife all say that Hardwick has never been abusive with them.[15][16][17]

On July 26, 2018, Dykstra issued a statement via her Twitter account that she now intended to move on with her life.[18] In that statement she also noted that she had declined to participate in the investigation being undertaken by the organization that had employed her alleged abuser, explaining in a later tweet that participating in that investigation would have exposed her to risk(s) beyond her control.[19] As before, she declined to name either her alleged abuser or the organization for which he worked, but reports from the entertainment news media on Dykstra's statement also noted that Chris Hardwick had been reinstated as the host of AMC's Talking Dead television show.[20][21]

"I have been adamant since I came forward with my essay that I never set out to ruin the career of the person I spoke about," Dykstra wrote. "I could have provided more details on the matter but chose not to. I have said what I wanted to say on that matter."[22]

References

  1. ^ "Chloe Dykstra". BBC America. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  2. ^ Casey, Dan (18 May 2012). "Just Cos and Effect: Dressing the Part with Chloe Dykstra, Linda Le and Seth Herzog". Nerdist. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  3. ^ "Wrestling isn't Wrestling". YouTube. 16 March 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  4. ^ Larocca, Courteney (June 15, 2018). "Chloe Dykstra: 5 Things To Know AboutFormer Nerdist Host Who Shared Abusive Relationship Story". Hollywood Life.
  5. ^ Schroeder, Audra (5 December 2013). "This sexy photo series is totally unrealistic, which is why the spoof is so funny". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  6. ^ Wright, Imani WJ (July 7, 2021). "OFF! Covers Metallica's 'Holier Than Thou,' Their First New Song in Seven Years". Spin Magazine. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Dykstra, Chloe (June 14, 2018). "Rose-Colored Glasses: A Confession". medium.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018. Trigger Warning for accounts of abuse, sexual assault, or anorexia
  8. ^ Dykstra, Chloe [@skydart] (June 15, 2018). "I quietly posted an article today, unlisted on Medium. It clearly made the rounds. I'm overwhelmed and I want to thank all of you for your support and kind words- they mean so much to me. I may take some time off the internet, please know your support means everything to me" (Tweet). Retrieved June 15, 2018 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ Aurelie Corinthios. "Chris Hardwick's Ex Chloe Dykstra Accuses Unnamed Boyfriend of Sexual Assault, Emotional Abuse". People.
  10. ^ Steiner, Chelsea (June 15, 2018). "Chloe Dykstra Details Alleged Sexual and Emotional Abuse at the Hands of an Ex-Boyfriend Believed to Be Chris Hardwick". themarysue.com. Abrams Media Network. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  11. ^ Goronja, Ariel (June 15, 2018). "Chris Hardwick: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". heavy.com. Heavy, Inc. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  12. ^ Bonomolo, Cameron (June 16, 2018). "Chris Hardwick Responds to Abuse Allegations". comicbook.com. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  13. ^ Wilstein, Matt (June 16, 2018). "Chris Hardwick Denies Sexually Assaulting Ex-Girlfriend Chloe Dykstra". The Daily Beast. New York City: IAC/Newsweek Media Group. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  14. ^ "Chris Hardwick Denies Claims That He Sexually Assaulted Chloe Dykstra". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles, California: Eldridge Industries. June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  15. ^ Sblendorio, Peter (June 27, 2018). "Three of Chris Hardwick's exes defend him amid abuse allegations". New York Daily News. New York City: Tronc. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  16. ^ D'Zurillo, Christie (June 26, 2018). "Janet Varney, Chris Hardwick's ex-girlfriend, says he never abused her". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  17. ^ Matadeen, Renaldo (June 21, 2018). "Chris Hardwick's Wife Defends Him Against Sexual Assault Allegations". Comic Book Resources. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Valnet, Inc. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  18. ^ Dykstra, Chloe [@skydart] (July 26, 2018). "I originally wrote my essay so I could move on with my life, and now I intend to do so. Thank you, again, to those who have supported me during this" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018 – via Twitter.NOTE: Full statement attached to the tweet as an image.
  19. ^ Dykstra, Chloe [@skydart] (August 10, 2018). "Hey dudes. Just a reminder: I 100% stand by every single word of my essay. I made sure it was unembellished, factual, and that I had evidence to back it up in order to protect myself in case of ACTUAL litigation (not a network investigation, where I'm not protected). That is all" (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 11, 2018 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ Clark, Anne Victoria (July 26, 2018). "Chloe Dykstra Asks to Move On Following Chris Hardwick's Reinstatement". www.vulture.com. New York Media. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  21. ^ Kilkenny, Katie (July 26, 2018). "Chloe Dykstra Says She "Chose Not to Participate" in Chris Hardwick Investigation". www.hollywoodreporter.com. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  22. ^ Kilkenny, Katie (July 26, 2018). "Chloe Dykstra Says She "Chose Not to Participate" in Chris Hardwick Investigation". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles, California: Eldridge Industries. Retrieved August 24, 2018.