Chris Hardwick, after abuse allegations, will guest judge on 'AGT' and return to 'The Wall'

Last week, Chris Hardwick was reinstated as host of AMC's "Talking Dead." Now, he's set to appear as a guest judge on the Aug. 7 episode of "America's Got Talent."

The host, who has been embroiled in sexual assault and abuse allegations made by an ex-girlfriend, appeared in a promo at the end of Tuesday's episode. In addition, NBC confirmed that Hardwick will return as host of Season 3 of game show "The Wall," which will begin production in the fall.

The "AGT" episode was filmed before the accusations were made against Hardwick.

The ubiquitous host was sidelined temporarily from TV and from this year's Comic-Con as AMC investigated abuse allegations made by former girlfriend Chloe Dykstra. Hardwick will resume hosting duties on "Talking Dead," the talk show that accompanies episodes of "The Walking Dead" and "Fear the Walking Dead," on Aug. 12. Yvette Nicole Brown, who filled in while Hardwick was away, will host the Season 9 "Walking Dead" preview on Aug. 5.

The network explained its decision to reinstate Hardwick in a statement provided to USA TODAY last week: "Following a comprehensive assessment by AMC, working with Ivy Kagan Bierman of the firm Loeb & Loeb, who has considerable experience in this area, Chris Hardwick will return to AMC as the host of 'Talking Dead' and 'Talking with Chris Hardwick. We take these matters very seriously and given the information available to us after a very careful review, including interviews with numerous individuals, we believe returning Chris to work is the appropriate step."

Hardwick, 46, acknowledged that he was the person being referred to in an online post by Dykstra alleging she had been sexually assaulted and emotionally abused. He denied the allegations but said the couple's three-year relationship was imperfect and included arguments.

Before AMC announced its decision, NBC said it would "assess the situation and take appropriate action based on the outcome" in terms of Hardwick's status on "The Wall."

KIRO