Who is Hayden Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson?
Hayden Panettiere was outspoken about the abuse she experienced at the hands of her on-again, off-again boyfriend.
Hayden Panettiere’s ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson had his request to reduce past felony charges denied by a judge just three days before the actress died, it can be revealed.
In 2021, the Heroes star’s on-again, off-again boyfriend pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend after he was arrested in Los Angeles and hit with an eight-count criminal indictment.
The charges resulted from series of abusive incidents involving Panettiere, occurring between May 2019 and January 2020.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.According to legal documents obtained by Page Six, Hickerson was denied his request to throw out the charges or have them reduced to a misdemeanour in a hearing on August 13.
He reportedly made a similar request in July 2025.
Hickerson was sentenced to 45 days in county jail in 2021, four years of formal probation, 52 mandatory domestic violence classes and a five-year restraining order.
He ultimately served 33 days in LA Men’s Central Jail after receiving credit for 12 days previously served.
The former pair are believed to have dated intermittently since 2018, though their turbulent relationship was underpinned by several domestic violence claims and arrests.
Hickerson is a South Carolina native who moved to California where he pursued a career in acting, gaining a few minor roles, after previously working in real estate.
He and the late actress began dating following Panettiere’s 2018 split from former Ukrainian professional boxer Wladimir Klitschko, whom she shares daughter Kaya.
In her 2026 memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, the Nashville star described her tumultuous relationship with Hickerson, as well as her struggles with addiction.
Despite his abuse, she was not truly able to break free from his grasp despite multiple attempts.
“Getting an abusive person out of your life is like trying to rip a weed out that is so entangled into your life, and every time you pull it out another weed pops back up and you’re like, I thought I killed this,” Panettiere told Us Weekly in May.
“They always manage to find a way to slither back in, even if you’re an incredibly strong-willed person. What happened in Wyoming helped push me in the right direction, but it still took me a long time. I still struggled to fully put a kibosh to it for a while.”
Meanwhile, Hickerson once described the late star as his “Sunday girl”.
“It’s not about who you spend Saturday night with, it’s about who you spend all Sunday with, and Hayden Panettiere is a Sunday girl,” he told TMZ.
Panettiere was found unresponsive inside an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday after an acquaintance called emergency services about 1.50pm.
