Hayden Panettiere‘s on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson, who was at the scene when she was pronounced dead this week, has finally broken cover after the beloved child actress’s shock passing from a suspected overdose.
The 37-year-old real estate agent, who was arrested for domestic violence multiple times throughout their relationship, was pictured outside his grandmother’s house in South Carolina on Tuesday, two days after Panettiere was found ‘unresponsive’ in an armchair at a nearby apartment where Hickerson was also staying.
Panettiere was just 36 years old – and, with her untimely death, has come a reexamination of her tumultuous romance with Hickerson.
Indeed, the Daily Mail has unearthed a series of intimidating messages Hickerson allegedly sent Panettiere amidst the most abusive throes of their relationship.
It was the summer of 2020, and Hickerson, himself an aspiring actor, was facing a host of charges stemming from alleged domestic violence incidents with Panettiere.
But, in an apparent attempt to influence his girlfriend into dropping the charges, Hickerson warned Panettiere that he had a trove of damaging information ready to use against her, police said at the time.
Hayden Panettiere’s on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson, who was at the scene when she was pronounced dead this week, has finally broken cover
The 37-year-old real estate agent was pictured outside his grandmother’s house in South Carolina on Tuesday, two days after Panettiere was found ‘unresponsive’ in a nearby apartment
Actress Hayden Panettiere, 36, died on Sunday following a suspected overdose. Her on-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson (left), was at the South Carolina apartment where she was pronounced dead (pictured in 2018)
‘It is very simple, it is a very simple fix, between me and you, you gotta make one phone call,’ Hickerson allegedly texted Panettiere.
‘Time to go to war, I guess,’ another message read.
In the end, Hickerson pled no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend, with the remaining charges dropped and Hickerson serving 33 days in jail.
Perhaps the biggest question now is why, after that brief prison stint, did Panettiere reconcile with the convicted felon and abuser, especially after she detailed his years of violent abuse in her memoir earlier this year.
The on-off couple were photographed together as recently as March 2026, and a heavily redacted police report from the scene of her death this week referred to Panettiere as Hickerson’s ‘girlfriend’.
Strangely, Hickerson had nothing but kind words to share about the actress upon the publication of her memoir in May, despite Panettiere writing of one incident in which he ‘[busted] up my face so badly I [didn’t] leave the house for weeks.’
In hindsight, it may have been a subtle sign that their relationship timeline was far blurrier than suspected.
On Monday, TMZ reported that Panettiere had kept their reconciliation a secret for the sake of her book. The next day, her estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, told NBC News that she ‘always knew they were together’ despite reports of the pair being on and off.
Although an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Panettiere’s death is still ongoing, friends have expressed their regret that those in Panettiere’s inner circle did ‘very little’ to convince her to sever ties with Hickerson.
‘Many people close to her didn’t think Brian was great, but nobody got through to her enough for her to end the relationship completely,’ an insider exclusively told the Daily Mail.
‘Everyone ended up doing very little. No matter how bad it could be, people close to her couldn’t and wouldn’t reason with her enough to make her change for the better. She didn’t have anyone who was her wake-up call.’
Hickerson was widely unliked by Panettiere’s friends, who often ‘made comments that she needed to get away from him,’ another insider shared.
Panettiere was open about her struggles with addiction and postpartum depression in the years before her death (pictured in 2010)
A source told the Daily Mail that Panettiere’s inner circle did ‘very little’ to convince her to break up with Hickerson following his multiple domestic violence charges (pictured in 2018)
‘Obviously, she had confided in people because it got around town. There were so many people that tried to get her away from him but she kept going back,’ they added.
‘It’s probably one of those trauma bonds. It’s a cycle and I think she got caught up in a vicious cycle.’
Panettiere was newly single and recently out of rehab when she first crossed paths with Hickerson at a Los Angeles bar in 2018, she recalled in her memoir.
The star had infamously relinquished full custody of her three-year-old daughter Kaya to her ex-fiancé, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, as her struggles with postpartum depression and addiction to opioids and alcohol made motherhood an impossible struggle.
She described being swept off her feet ‘at lightning speed’ by Hickerson, who only had one small acting credit from 2017 to his name at the time.
Within weeks they were living together at her Los Angeles home – dancing in her living room, redecorating, playing board games and watching ‘practically every Netflix series ever made.’
‘I finally began to feel beautiful again,’ she wrote, praising his smile and sense of humor. ‘I also started to feel safe, loved and cherished. It was like Brian and I were two best friends living together under one roof.’
It wouldn’t be long, however, that their relationship would take a violent turn.
Panettiere and Hickerson began dating in 2018. He was arrested multiple times throughout their relationship, eventually pleading no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend in 2021 (pictured in 2019)
Chris Applebaum, who directed the music video for Panettiere’s 2008 song Wake Up Call, explained to the Daily Mail that Hickerson’s ‘abusive and horrible’ behavior was a not-so-hidden secret to Panettiere’s close friends and family.
‘I knew about [Brian], but I never crossed paths with him,’ Applebaum said.
‘I knew all about him and how he was so abusive and horrible, and we know what happens in those kinds of relationships. The victim will always protect the abuser, and there’s horrible dynamics in that way.’
Hickerson was arrested in Los Angeles and charged with domestic violence for the first time in May 2019 and released on bail. He pleaded not guilty to one count of felony domestic violence later that month, and the case was dismissed at the end of September.
The following year, on Valentine’s Day, Hickerson was arrested for domestic battery in Wyoming after a physical altercation with a woman, later identified as Panettiere.
Hickerson pleaded not guilty to the charge in April of that year. In July 2020, Panettiere obtained a restraining order against him, sharing in a public statement that she hoped others would be inspired by her to walk away from abusive partners.
Three months later, Hickerson was arrested on seven felony charges and one misdemeanor charge stemming from allegedly abusive incidents that occurred between May 2019 to January 2020, including one count of dissuading a witness from prosecuting a crime.
It was during a February 2021 preliminary hearing in Wyoming, covered by the Daily Mail, where the snapshots of the intimidating text messages and videos allegedly sent by Hickerson to Panettiere were read aloud in district court.
A mugshot of Hickerson (seen) was taken following his February 2020 arrest for domestic battery in Wyoming, a misdemeanor in the state
He ultimately pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend in 2021, while the other six counts were dropped. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail and four years’ probation, plus $500 in fines and mandatory domestic violence classes.
Hickerson also faced serious financial issues after his domestic violence arrests, ultimately filing for bankruptcy in July 2022. In court documents obtained by the Daily Mail, he listed his total assets as $25,700 and his liabilities at nearly $60,000.
Hickerson said he only had $6,250 in his checking account and the only property he owned was an iPhone, a printer, $2,000 in clothing and $100 worth of jewelry. His debt included nearly $20,000 in credit card expenses and about $18,000 in medical bills. The case was later closed.
Amid their tumultuous relationship, Panettiere made the bold decision to get sober from alcohol and drugs. Although the actress had a long history of abusing substances, revealing that she began taking ‘happy pills’ as early as 15 years old, her addiction worsened while she was battling postpartum depression.
In 2020, she entered a treatment center for what ultimately became an eight-month rehab stint. Panettiere later described her sobriety journey as an ‘everyday battle,’ though the status of her sobriety on the day of her death remains unclear.
According to a redacted incident report obtained by the Daily Mail on Tuesday, Hickerson allegedly showed police a ‘bag of medication’ that Panettiere had been taking at the time of her death. Narcan, a nasal spray used to reverse the effects of opioid overdose, was also reportedly found inside the apartment.
While Panettiere was open with her fans about her years-long struggle with addiction, however, it seemed she was less willing to fully acknowledge her toxic relationship. So much so, Panettiere apparently kept details about their relationship hidden from even her closest friends.
‘Everyone knew she was still seeing Brian [Hickerson], but no one knew if it was serious. She didn’t like to talk about him,’ a third source told the Daily Mail. ‘Brian is a dirt bag. She has dated tons of dirt bags.’
In March 2022, Panettiere was knocked to the ground while trying to break up a fight between Hickerson and patrons outside the Sunset Marquis hotel in Los Angeles. At one point, Panettiere appeared to yell ‘Brian, jail!’ in a possible attempt to warn Hickerson about his probation.
In May 2022, Panettiere was knocked to the ground while trying to break up a fight between Hickerson and patrons outside the Sunset Marquis hotel in Los Angeles
At one point, Panettiere appeared to yell ‘Brian, jail!’ in a possible attempt to warn Hickerson about his probation
The following year, Panettiere told to the New York Times that the pair had recently become sober and reconnected as friends. Still, she was hesitant to define their relationship, admitting to the outlet, ‘There are feelings there, yes.’
Indeed, questions surrounding the status of Panettiere’s relationship with Hickerson had been looming in recent months up until her passing. Those questions, however, were answered on Tuesday, when the redacted incident report from her death referred to Panettiere as Hickerson’s ‘girlfriend.’
Just last March, they were photographed traveling side-by-side at Los Angeles Airport. Two months later, Hickerson made several bombshell statements to TMZ about his past abuse, and his hopes to one day marry Panettiere.
‘Man, I mean, I think it speaks for itself… I got arrested for abusing her,’ Hickerson said in May.
‘And I wouldn’t blame her friends for being pissed off at me… I had a lot to drink and I got physical with her. I got arrested. I spent the night in jail and that’s just what happens when you lay hands on women.’
Hickerson said he ‘had a couple opportunities to apologize’ to Panettiere for what happened.
‘Our relationship now is… I think it’s just a mutual respect thing. She’ll always hold a special place in my heart and, you know, I hope the same for her,’ he said. ‘We’re just good buddies.’
He added that he ‘of course’ thought about marrying the actress but admitted that he and Panettiere ‘probably wouldn’t be good together.’
Panettiere was photographed arriving at a book signing for her memoir, ‘This Is Me: A Reckoning,’ in May 2026 in New York City
But when later asked her thoughts about Hickerson’s dreams for marriage, the actress scoffed at the idea.
‘I don’t think that’s going to happen,’ Panettiere told TMZ.
Meanwhile, Hickerson made legal moves to rewrite his criminal past nearly one month before Panettiere’s death.
According to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail, Hickerson filed a petition with the Los Angeles County Superior Court to change his felony charges to misdemeanor charges. Under his four-years’ probation terms, Hickerson was ordered to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings ‘at the minimum rate of 1 per week,’ according to court records, and complete 26 anger management sessions.
Hickerson completed his probation on August 1, and asked the court to expunge the charges from his record. However, on August 13, a Los Angeles judge denied Hickerson’s petition.
Three days later, Panettiere was found dead in an apartment block located in Greenville, South Carolina. She was described as ‘unresponsive’ and in ‘cardiac arrest’ after a suspected overdose, according to a recording of the 911 call obtained by the Daily Mail.
On Tuesday, police confirmed that Hickerson, along with his brother Zach Hickerson, were in the apartment with the actress. An officer at the scene said Zach was ‘very emotional’ amid the distressing scene, but Hickerson didn’t show any upset until Panettiere was declared dead.
The star’s father, Alan Lee ‘Skip’ Panettiere, confirmed his daughter’s death in a statement shared on Sunday, announcing the ‘tragic passing of our beloved Hayden.’
‘She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her – and to the millions who watched her onscreen.’
But when it came time for Panettiere’s mother to break her silence about her daughter’s death, she took the opportunity to cast blame on her daughter’s abusive boyfriend instead.
‘This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death and that was Brian Hickerson,’ Vogel told NBC News.
‘There is a lot of history in the past that Brian has enabled Hayden many times and this is why her father and I had been concerned for a long time about him,’ she said.
Panettiere’s mother said her daughter had ‘sadly lost her way’ and that she ‘wish it were different.’
‘I wish she had stayed true to herself because she had many incredible attributes.’
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