In an open letter published June 14 on Medium, actress and YouTube series host Chloe Dykstra, 29, detailed an abusive relationship with an unnamed ex-boyfriend. The essay, “Rose-Colored Glasses: A Confession” included claims of emotional abuse and sexual assault. Here are five things you need to know about Dykstra:
1. She used to host a YouTube series under Hardwick’s company. Dykstra is an avid cosplayer, and has built her career around dressing up as various fictional characters. She produced and co-hosted a web series Just Cos for the Nerdist Industries’ YouTube channel. She was also a cast member on the SyFy show Heroes of Cosplay. Dykstra is also a freelance game journalist for a number of websites.
2. She dated Chris Hardwick for many years. The model began dating Hardwick, 46, in late 2011 when she was 23 and he was 40. Their relationship ended in July 2014. She does not in any way name Hardwick as the ex-boyfriend in her essay.
3. She claimed the ex got her blacklisted from the industry. In her essay, Dykstra claimed that when she finally left her boyfriend after three years, her ex “made calls to several companies I received regular work from to get me fired by threatening to never work with them.” She said that this alleged effort was successful and she “was blacklisted. With the assistance of a woman who’d gained my trust and my heart over the past year, he steamrolled my career.” Her web series Just Cos was cancelled in July 2014 and Heroes of Cosplay ended the same year.
4. She is keeping her abusive ex unnamed. At the start of her essay, she explained that she was telling her story “not necessarily intending to point my finger at the man who did it (though that may be an unfortunate consequence for him),” but for her own personal closure and to let this be a warning to others. “Emotional abuse is a very common thing. More common than you’d think,” she wrote. Her essay details various accusations of emotional abuse. She claims she wasn’t allowed to have male friends, speak to him in public, drink alcohol, or make plans at night with anyone but her ex.
5. She thinks the #MeToo movement still has a long way to go. Dykstra concluded her essay by saying that she’s afraid these accusations might negatively impact her career going forward. “It will probably hurt me now too, despite the #MeToo movement. We’ve come a long way, but we still have a ways to go,” she wrote. She also tweeted on June 15 that she’s “overwhelmed” by people’s support, but might be less present online for a bit.
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.
— Chloe Dykstra (@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,” she tweeted. “I may take some time off the internet, please know your support means everything to me.”