Hayden Panettiere's Mother Was 'Concerned For A Long Time' About Her On-And-Off Boyfriend

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The following includes references to domestic abuse.

Hayden Panettiere's mother, Lesley Vogel, has broken her silence. In a new interview, Vogel addressed her daughter's death at the age of 36 and voiced her concerns over Panettiere's relationship with her on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson. According to reports at the time of writing, Hickerson was with Panettiere when the "Heroes" star died unexpectedly on August 16, 2026, in what authorities suspect was an overdose. Speaking on August 18, Vogel said that she and Panettiere's father have long had their doubts about Hickerson, whom they believed enabled their daughter's struggles. "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.

It's no secret that Panettiere and Hickerson's relationship had been rocky, to say the least. Their on-again, off-again romance lasted from 2018 until her death, during which time their relationship became increasingly toxic. In 2019, Hickerson was arrested for assaulting Panettiere during a heated argument inside their home. He pleaded guilty to the domestic violence charges and was ultimately sentenced to a short stint in jail and four years' probation.

Panettiere wrote about the abuse in her 2026 memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," including one particularly troubling incident where she claimed she couldn't leave the house for weeks after Hickerson beat her especially badly. "I've struggled with how to tell this because I don't want to be a spokesperson for domestic violence," she explained. "I never wanted to call myself a victim, but here I am."

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

It's worth noting that Hayden Panettiere had been estranged from her mother, Lesley Vogel, for years before her young death on August 16, which left Hollywood reeling. In the months leading up to her passing, Panettiere got candid about where she and her mom stood in a lengthy interview with Us Weekly. "Unfortunately, we don't have a relationship right now," Panettiere confirmed. However, she sounded hopeful that things would be okay. "But that doesn't mean that I don't leave the door open for the opportunity to present itself one day," she added. "It's hard for me to say, but I've chosen to be brutally honest."

Notably, Vogel served as her manager from the time Panettiere started acting at a very young age until she was older. She eventually asked her mother to stop working for her in hopes that they could have a proper mother-daughter relationship. "I was hoping that if I remove [the business aspect], then there will be no reason for her to be anything other than my mom," Panettiere explained on Jay Shetty's "On Purpose" podcast, but Vogel wouldn't hear of it. "'You owe me," she recalled her mother telling her. "That's all she said."

In her interview with NBC News shortly after her daughter's death, Vogel also reflected on Panettiere's struggles with fame. "I think Hayden was an amazingly talented person in so many departments and I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry — it is a struggle and it's a very challenging industry and it's not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path," she said. "I think it becomes very difficult to be true to yourself, and I think Hayden sadly lost her way and I wish it were different," she added.