Who is Hayden Panettiere’s Ex-Boyfriend, Brian Hickerson?
Newsweek · C · trust 50/100
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Hayden Panettiere’s ex-boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, is back under scrutiny after TMZ reported that the pair flew from Los Angeles to the South the day before the actress was found unresponsive in a Greenville, South Carolina , residence.
Police say there are no signs of foul play in her death , but the circumstances — and Hickerson’s presence shortly before she died — have renewed public attention on their turbulent past.
Fans, family and investigators are now left to piece together what happened in Panettiere’s final hours, while her history with Hickerson reenters the spotlight amid an ongoing investigation.
A police spokesperson told Newsweek that officers responded to Judson Mill Lofts at 1:51 p.m. on August 16, where Panettiere was pronounced dead at the scene after attempts at “advanced cardiac life support.”
Brian Hickerson is a South Carolina native who moved to Los Angeles to pursue real estate and acting. His name appears in Panettiere’s LexisNexis records as a possible roommate at her West Hollywood apartment, listed at 964 Hancock Ave Apt 305.
Their relationship, which began in 2018, was marked by domestic violence allegations, multiple arrests, and a brief reconciliation after Hickerson served jail time.
He publicly acknowledged abusing Panettiere earlier this year, saying, “I got arrested for abusing her… you never lay hands on a woman. Bottom line.”
Hickerson’s connection to Panettiere spans eight years, beginning in 2018 and continuing intermittently through 2026. Their relationship was volatile, with Hickerson arrested multiple times on domestic violence charges involving Panettiere.
In May 2019, police observed “redness and marks” on Panettiere’s body before arresting Hickerson on felony domestic violence charges. The case was dismissed when prosecutors couldn’t secure a key witness.
He was arrested again in 2020 after allegedly punching Panettiere in the face during a trip to Wyoming. Months later, he faced eight charges tied to several alleged incidents, ultimately pleading no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or cohabitant. He served 45 days in jail, received four years of probation, and was ordered to complete California's 52‑week Batterer Intervention Program.
Despite the restraining order, the pair reconnected in 2021. Hickerson said Panettiere allowed him to “make amends,” and they were photographed together multiple times in the years that followed — including arriving off a flight earlier this year.
TMZ reported that Hickerson and Panettiere flew from Los Angeles to the South on August 15, the day before her death . His family was notified of her passing, according to the outlet.
Before Hickerson, Panettiere was best known for her long relationship with Wladimir Klitschko, the former heavyweight boxing champion. The pair began dating in 2009, got engaged in 2013, and welcomed their daughter Kaya in 2014.
Their relationship began to strain in 2016, and they ultimately split in 2018. Panettiere later spoke openly about her struggle with postpartum depression, addiction, and the painful decision to have Kaya live primarily with Klitschko in Ukraine.
Panettiere also dated actor Milo Ventimiglia in the late 2000s and had earlier relationships during her rise as a child star, but none carried the public weight or long-term complications of her partnership with Klitschko — or the danger associated with Hickerson.
Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, now 11, is Panettiere’s only child, shared with Wladimir Klitschko. Born in 2014, Kaya has lived primarily in Ukraine with her father since Panettiere’s struggles with addiction and mental health intensified.
Panettiere spoke candidly about the heartbreak of their separation, rejecting claims she “abandoned” her daughter. Hickerson publicly defended her parenting in 2019, telling Access Hollywood that Panettiere was “a great mom” and that Panettiere was vacationing with Kaya at the time.
Kaya’s future — and her relationship with her mother’s side of the family — will likely become a central focus in the months ahead as loved ones navigate grief and legal processes following Panettiere’s death.
Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive on August 16, 2026, inside a Greenville, South Carolina apartment.
Someone placed a 911 call, although Newsweek was unable to verify who made the call, and first responders attempted CPR and administered advanced cardiac life support, including medications and breathing tubes, but she was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.
Authorities noted dispatch audio referencing a possible “overdose” and “cardiac arrest,” though no official cause of death has been released. Police emphasized that no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances were found and that the case remains under investigation by the Greenville Police Department and the Greenville County Coroner’s Office.
Panettiere had recently been promoting her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning , where she wrote candidly about trauma, addiction, and her relationship with Hickerson.
Her death stunned colleagues and fans, with tributes pouring in from co-stars and friends who believed she was entering a new chapter of stability and recovery.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Gray R. Thomas
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