Who is Lydia Hearst? All about Chris Hardwick's wife as couple welcome first child together

Chris Hardwick and Lydia Hearst are now parents to a baby girl (Images via Shutterstock and Instagram)
Chris Hardwick and Lydia Hearst are now parents to a baby girl (Images via Shutterstock and Instagram)

Comedian Chris Hardwick and his wife Lydia Hearst welcomed their first child, daughter Dimity Facente Hearst-Hardwick, almost two weeks early, on January 29. Hardwick took to Instagram to announce the news last Sunday.

Chris Hardwick posted a photo of himself holding the newborn baby as his wife was still on the operating table in the background. Calling their pregnancy journey 'humbling and inspiring', the comedian stated that seeing and hearing his child for the first time was 'indelibly imprinted onto' his soul.

He also noted that the delivery was scheduled to take place on February 9, but an emergency c-section had to be done at just over 37 weeks as "the baby’s development had plateaued, the placenta had hardened, her fluid reserves were low, and she was breech."

About the mother and daughter, who are both doing well after the birth, Chris Hardwick wrote:

"Lyds is happy, Dimity is perfect and I am over the moon with love for the both of them."

Sharing the same photo to her Instagram, Hearst talked about how being a parent changes everything. She wrote:

"It feels like only yesterday we learned we were pregnant, and now she’s here! Becoming a parent changes you, and some of the starkest differences are also the most intimate ones - the emotional changes. Your life instantly transforms. Priorities change. You change. I feel so blessed and am incredibly grateful. Life has given us you, Dimity. We will love you forever. Dimity Facente Hearst-Hardwick 01/29/2022"

Lydia Hearst has featured on the cover of Vogue Italia

Lydia Hearst is a model, actress, and lifestyle blogger. She is the daughter of author and actress Patty Hearst and the great-granddaughter of newspaper publisher and politician William Randolph Hearst.

Before being discovered by fashion photographer Steven Meisel in 2003, Hearst was pursuing her degree in Communications and Technology from Sacred Heart University.

She was featured on the cover of Vogue Italia in April 2004. She has also been put on covers of several fashion magazines in the United States, Latin America, Italy, Korea, Japan, and France. She has reportedly modeled for high-profile photographers like Patrick DeMarchelier, Mario Testino, Bettina Rheims, Mark Abrams and Terry Richardson, among others.

In 2008, Lydia was awarded a Michael Award as the Supermodel of the Year and a Madrid Glamour Award for being the Best International Supermodel. In 2015, the International Film Festival Manhattan gave her the Best Actress award for her performance as Chanel in Stealing Chanel (2015).

Hearst has acted in movies like Aileen Wuornos: American Boogeywoman (2021), Psycho Sister-in-Law (2020), The Haunting of Sharon Tate (2019), Between Worlds (2018), Cabin Fever: Patient Zero (2014), and so on. She has also been a part of several TV shows that include Z Nation (2014-2018), The Face (2013-2014), South of Hell (2015) and many more.

The couple first met in 2013 during production of an episode of Chris Hardwick's show Talking Dead. Hearst was in the audience and was introduced to Hardwick after the show. The duo then lost touch, but they met again and started dating a few months later. In September 2015, Hardwick proposed with a candy ring and later replaced it with Hearst's grandmother Catherine's ring which was passed on to him by Patty Hearst.

In August 2016, the pair tied the knot at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena. Chris Hardwick and Lydia Hearst first shared the news of their pregnancy with Just Jared in August, saying:

"We are beyond thrilled! We have wanted a family for awhile now, and are so incredibly excited about this!"

The duo then shared screenshots of the article on their respective Instagram profiles. In his post, Chris Hardwick wrote:

"The news is out! So excited to finally share this!! It has been an incredibly bright spot in a surreal time. I gotta say, when we went in for one of the ultrasounds, the first time I saw this little alien gummy bear wiggling around my world completely changed for the better in that exact moment. We are so so beyond thrilled!!"

Hearst, who has documented her entire pregnancy on Instagram, also shared a photo of the ultrasound in her post and expressed her excitement for welcoming her first child into the world.

Last Monday, Hardwick shared three photos of himself holding his little daughter in his arms. The comedian "classed it up" for his daughter's first day on earth in a tux-printed shirt, writing, "Delivery attire but make it formal,” in the caption. He even changed his Instagram bio to "Dimity’s dad."