Hayden Panettiere's Estranged Mom Bashes Late Actress' Boyfriend Brian Hickerson — As She Speaks Out Following Daughter's Death
Hayden Panettiere's mother, Lesley Vogel, has spoken out following the star's death.
Aug. 18 2026, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
Hayden Panettiere's estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, has broken her silence following her daughter's death, RadarOnline.com can reveal, using her statement to bash the late actress' boyfriend, Brian Hickerson.
"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 in her first comments since Panettiere was found unresponsive inside a South Carolina apartment before her death was confirmed.
The Trouble With Brian Hickerson
Lesley Vogel spoke out following her daughter's death, using the opportunity to bash her boyfriend.
Vogel continued, "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."
According to TMZ, Hickerson and his brother, Zach, were on scene when the Heroes actress died on Sunday, August 16.
The couple began dating in 2018 and had been on-again-off-again for years. The outlet claimed the troubled Hickerson was "very emotional" while EMS worked on his girlfriend.
Throughout their relationship, Hickerson made it clear he wasn't a fan of Vogel, once declaring she is "by far one of the worst people I've ever met in my life... I just can't with her. She's terrible."
Did Brian Hickerson 'Enable' Hayden Panettiere?
Panettiere and Hickerson dated on-and-off since 2018.
However, according to previous sources, Hickerson seemed to be more of an issue for Panettiere than her mother.
"The relationship has been bad news from the start," a friend had claimed while Panettiere was alive. "They go out drinking, and she gets sloppy. He's been enabling her all along." Emergency responders on the scene in South Carolina had radioed that the Nashville star may have had an accidental "overdose" of something.
The pal noted Panettiere's family believed she had a "serious drinking problem" and were "trying to convince her to get help." However, Hickerson seemed to be a major problem.
"Brian's no good for her, and she's beginning to see that," they claimed at the time. "She's got to move on and focus on getting sober. Otherwise, something really bad could happen."
The actress had been open about her addiction and her relationship with her mother before she died.
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, that was not the end of the pair's relationship. Panettiere and Hickerson reportedly took a flight out of Los Angeles to Greenville, South Carolina, on August 15, one day before the Remember the Titans star's death.
Before her death, Panettiere had been open about her drug and alcohol dependency as well as the broken relationship with her mother while promoting her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.
During an interview with podcaster Jay Shetty, Panettiere recalled the moment she parted ways with her mother, who had helped manage her career since she was a child.
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The 'Heroes' actress had claimed her mother was only interested in 'money.'
“She came into my trailer during lunch when we were filming Heroes, and I said to her, 'I don't want us to work together anymore; I just want you to be my mom,'" Panettiere claimed to have told Vogel, who allegedly replied, "You owe me."
Panettiere added, "And that’s all she said, and she walked out. And part of me was like, 'Oh, I'm relieved that it was short, like, rip the Band-Aid off.' But then it was like this dark looming cloud over my head going, 'What does she mean by I owe her? What form of payment is she expecting?'"
The movie star claimed Vogel only wanted "money" and "didn't pursue" a relationship with her mother afterwards.
In her memoir, Panettiere also wrote that a doctor warned her she would be "dead within five years" if she didn't stop drinking. She turned to treatment in 2020, entering an eight-month stay.
