Brian Hickerson, Hayden Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend and a convicted felon, openly discussed his past abuse of the actress in a resurfaced interview recorded just three months before her sudden death at age 36.
Panettiere, who would have celebrated her 37th birthday on August 21, was found “unresponsive” Sunday by police and paramedics at an apartment complex in Greenville, South Carolina. She was later pronounced dead at the scene following a suspected overdose.
Authorities, including police and the local coroner’s office, are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death. Officials said their “preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.”
Panettiere and Hickerson, who previously served jail time after being convicted in connection with abusing her, reportedly traveled from Los Angeles to his native South Carolina the day before she died. A police report released Tuesday stated that Hickerson and his brother were with the actress at the time of her death.
The actress is survived by her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, whom she shares with former longtime partner, boxer Wladimir Klitschko, 50.
Hickerson was sentenced to 45 days in county jail in April 2021 after pleading no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend. He ultimately served 13 days the following month.
Brian Hickerson, Hayden Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend and a convicted felon, spoke frankly about abusing her in a resurfaced interview filmed three months before her sudden death at 36; the pair are pictured in 2018
During a May interview with TMZ, Hickerson smiled while discussing the domestic violence incidents from their relationship and reacting to Panettiere recounting the abuse in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, saying, “I did it”
Panettiere’s tragic death at 36 over the weekend was announced on Sunday night. She is pictured here at a gala in Hollywood in 2022
In a May interview with TMZ, Hickerson spoke about the domestic violence incidents that took place during their relationship – and how he felt seeing Panettiere retell the abuse in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.
He also revealed that there was one particular incident he wanted her to leave out of the book but she ended up keeping it in.
‘There’s a story where I was drunk, right? Hayden was standing across the room and I had a phone in my hand and I said, “Hayden I’ll give you 10 seconds to run as fast as you can before I throw it at you,”‘ he recalled.
In July of 2020, he was arrested again in connection with eight charges of domestic violence. He entered a no-contest plea to a pair of felony counts of injuring a partner in 2021, and the rest of the charges were dropped
‘Who wants to read something about themselves like that, right?’ he asked, before adding with a big smile, ‘I did it. I did it.’
Hickerson added he thought the memoir was ‘incredible’ but added ‘My biggest thing, I wasn’t taught early enough what domestic violence was. If I was at an early enough age, maybe I wouldn’t have done what I did.’
In the wake of her death, the chat with Hickerson resurfaced on social media, with one fan writing, ‘I don’t know if this is the result of alcohol, drugs, mental illness or whatever watching the entire interview is wild.
‘I have never seen anyone speak so casually about abusing their girlfriend. It’s nauseating. I loved Hayden Panettiere in Nashville. One of my favorite shows. May she finally find the peace she could never find in this life.’
Panettiere and Hickerson had an on-again, off-again relationship from 2018 to 2022 that was marred by domestic violence incidents and arrests.
The actress was in the midst of her substance abuse issues when she started dating Hickerson, 37, shortly after she wrapped the sixth and final season of Nashville.
Their relationship soon turned ugly when Hickerson was arrested in May 2019 after an incident with Panettiere. He was charged with domestic violence, and she received a protective order before the charges were dropped.
‘Who wants to read something about themselves like that, right?’ he asked, before adding with a big smile, ‘I did it. I did it
‘Who wants to read something about themselves like that, right?’ he asked, before adding with a big smile, ‘I did it. I did it.; pictured 2023
In July of 2020, he was arrested again in connection with eight charges of domestic violence. He entered a no-contest plea to a pair of felony counts of injuring a partner in 2021, and the rest of the charges were dropped.
Hickerson was in jail for 13 days, and Panettiere put out a statement following the arrest saying she hoped she could serve as an example for others in a similar situation.
‘I am coming forward with the truth about what happened to me in the hope that my story will empower others in abusive relationships to get the help they need and deserve,’ she said at the time. ‘I am prepared to do my part to make sure this man never hurts anyone again.’
Panettiere told People that she continues to ‘feel the same way’ about the statement she put out two years ago.
‘None of it is OK,’ she said. ‘But I want to make sure that everybody knows that each person who goes through something like that, they’re on their own journey. No two things are exactly alike.’
Panettiere also spoke with the publication about an incident in which she and Hickerson got into a bar brawl with a group of revelers at a celebrity hotspot in Los Angeles in 2022.
According to TMZ, Hickerson sparked the fight when he spat on a fellow patron at Sunset Marquis, which prompted the manager to throw everyone out of the establishment.
However, a representative for Panettiere told People that Hickerson ‘made a comment to an individual about leaving the waitress a poor tip.’
Panettiere later said she was ‘trying to live in a place of understanding’ in regards to her history with Hickerson and the multiple domestic violence incidents he was charged with during their relationship.
‘I think [Brian] has done his time and was willing to get help. I think about the things I have done in my life that people forgave me for,’ she told People. ‘Making amends is a really important thing that you learn in treatment. And it gives you a lot of inner peace.’
It’s unclear when exactly they split, but Hickerson confirmed that they are ‘just friends’ and ‘absolutely not’ together anymore.
However, in recent years the pair appeared to have repaired their friendship and were spotted travelling together.
After Panettiere recounted their terrifying relationship in memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, Hickerson in May unbelievably said he can still see a future with the star.
When asked by TMZ if he ever thinks about marrying the actress, he responded: ‘Yeah, of course… I hope so – she probably doesn’t think the same way.’
However, Hickerson acknowledged it was not healthy for the pair to resume a romantic relationship, adding: ‘I think that Hayden is one of the most talented people I’ve ever met in my life, and I would be an idiot not to walk away from her and let her flourish in her career.
‘So, we probably wouldn’t be good together.’
Hickerson said the pair’s relationship had now evolved into friendship after they were seen at the airport together in March, but whined: ‘I miss Hayden every day.’
The actress later offered her response to Hickerson’s comments about marriage while talking to TMZ as she arrived to LAX airport.
When asked to offer her reaction, she simply replied with a small laugh, ‘I don’t think that’s going to happen,’ before making her way into the crowded airport.
Hickerson said he’s had a ‘couple of opportunities to apologize’ to his ex, adding, ‘You never lay hands on a woman. Bottom line.’
He also spoke about an incident that took place in 2020 when he was arrested on Valentine’s Day for allegedly punching her. He entered a plea of not guilty at the time.
‘I had a lot to drink, and I got physical with her, and I got arrested, spent the night in jail. That’s just what happens when you lay hands on women,’ he said.
The Heroes star’s on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson was in the apartment where she died alongside his brother Zach (seen together)
Nearly a month before her tragic death, Hickerson filed a petition with the Los Angeles County Superior Court to expunge his criminal record of domestic abuse charges involving the actress.
According to a minute order filed on August 13 and reviewed by Our News Outlet, Judge Olivia Rosales denied Hickerson’s petition, just three days before Panettiere was found dead from what officials described as a ‘suspected overdose.’
In a newly released report from the Greenville Police Department, officers said Hickerson and his brother Zach were at the scene when the Heroes star tragically died.
An officer at the scene said Zach was ‘very emotional’, but said Brian did not show any emotion as EMS declared his partner dead.
Brian Hickerson allegedly then showed police a ‘bag of medication’ that Panettiere had been taking at the time of her death.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office has said Panettiere’s cause of death remains under investigation, however audio of the 911 call from her apartment showed a dispatcher described it as a ‘cardiac arrest.’
A dispatcher could be heard in the audio saying that Panettiere had suffered a suspected overdose, and sources told TMZ that Narcan – a nasal medication used to treat an opioid overdose – was also found on a mattress at the property.
