Hayden Panettiere's Estranged Mom Lesley Admits She 'Lost It' After Actress Reunited With Boyfriend Brian Hickerson Before Her Death
Hayden Panettiere's mom blames her daughter's relationship with Brian Hickerson for leading to her death.
Aug. 24 2026, Published 5:45 p.m. ET
Hayden Panettiere's estranged mother has confessed that her late daughter's relationship with Brian Hickerson caused her a great deal of grief and stress, RadarOnline.com can report.
Lesley Vogel also blamed her daughter's abusive boyfriend for being one of the factors in the actress' shocking death at age 36.
Lesley Vogel Is Struggling to Deal With Hayden Panettiere's Death
Lesley Vogel said she was crushed to learn of her daughter's possible overdose.
Vogel struggled with her emotions as she reflected on the loss of her daughter while speaking with ABC's Good Morning America.
"I was numb. I was just numb. I just couldn't feel anything," the distraught mother said of learning of Panettiere's death. "I still am not grasping this as real. It just doesn't. It doesn't feel real. My mind tells me it's not."
Panettiere was with Hickerson and his brother, Zach, in a Greenville, South Carolina, Airbnb when she suffered what has been listed as "cardiac arrest" but could also involve a possible drug overdose.
The Nashville star had a volatile relationship with Brian, who was arrested on multiple occasions on allegations of physical abuse.
Lesley Vogel Couldn't Believe Hayden Panettiere Reunited With Ex
Panettiere and Hickerson had a volatile relationship.
In 2021, Hickerson was sentenced to 45 days behind bars on two felony counts of injuring the Hollywood star. As part of his plea deal, the 37-year-old was ordered to attend 52 domestic violence classes and pay a $500 fee following his release.
Despite this, Panettiere and Hickerson reportedly remained close.
On August 15, the pair took a flight out of Los Angeles to Greenville. The next day, the Remember the Titans star died.
After learning her daughter had apparently forgiven Brian and welcomed him back into her life, Vogel was crushed.
"When I got the phone call from her saying, 'I'm going to be with the person I love,' I just lost it. I lost it," Vogel said. "I could not believe that she had gone that far back, that he had been successful in reeling her back in with all of the things he had done to her."
A 'Toxic Codependent Bond'
Vogel has slammed Hickerson as being 'toxic' to her daughter.
Vogel has made her disapproval of Brian well known, calling him "toxic" and bashing his influence on Panettiere's life. She said Brian and Hayden had a "codependent bond" that became increasingly difficult for her family to break.
"When Brian came into her life, the changes started to occur," Vogel said. "Very early in the game, I thought he's a modern-day gigolo. I know what he's after."
Hayden Panettiere Cut Off Contact With Mom After Reuniting With Ex
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Panettiere's renewed relationship with Hickerson led to her estrangement from her mother.
Vogel also said Panettiere's relationship with Brian was the catalyst of their personal feud, leading to her estrangement from her daughter.
The grieving mother said that, on the advice of her therapist, she told Hayden she could not speak to her if Hickerson remained part of her life.
"I needed it, I needed to have that pocket of time," Vogel said of what she thought would be a brief disconnect. "Of course, I thought it was going to be a pocket of time. I did not, by any stretch of the imagination, think that this was going to happen to Hayden. I don't know why, I just didn't. Maybe I didn’t want to."
