Hayden Panettiere's estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, has shared more details about her late daughter's relationship with Brian Hickerson, saying Hayden had changed after meeting him.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleHayden Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, has opened up about her late daughter's troubled relationship with her longtime on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson, describing their bond as deeply "co-dependent" and "unhealthy."
The new comments come days after the Heroes and Nashville actress died at 36. Panettiere was found unresponsive at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina, on August 16, 2026. Brian and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were with her at the Airbnb when the responders arrived. The official cause and manner of death remain under investigation.
In an interview published by the Daily Mail on Saturday, August 22, Vogel, 70, reflected on the changes she believes she saw in her daughter after Hickerson entered her life. She recalled thinking him to be a "gigolo" (a male escort). “Very early in the game, I thought he’s a modern-day gigolo. I know what he’s after."
Vogel said she believed the relationship became increasingly difficult to break as Panettiere and Hickerson grew more dependent on one another. She noted that their bond was "much more powerful than people realized."
However, the situation became even more concerning when substance use entered the picture. Both Hayden and Brian have had a history of substance dependence to the point that it became unhealthy for them both. Hayden's estranged mother says the couple's co-dependence made things even more concerning. She told the publication:
"I would talk to both of them about it. I would say, ‘This is a co-dependent relationship, and it is not healthy for either of you.’"
Vogel said she, Panettiere's father and people around the actress tried to intervene but were unable to separate the couple: “My sadness is that everything that I did, her father did, friends did, business people did — we could not break that codependent bond."
Panettiere and Hickerson were first linked in 2018. Their relationship later became the subject of intense public scrutiny following allegations of domestic violence. In fact, Hickerson was arrested in 2019 after an incident involving Panettiere. He later pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend and was sentenced to probation and jail time.
Panettiere later discussed the relationship and its impact on her life in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, published earlier in 2026. The actress wrote about the abuse she said she experienced and the difficulty of breaking away from a relationship that had become deeply damaging. Vogel now says she believes the relationship had a powerful hold over her daughter.
A week after Hayden's death, her mother has raised some alarming questions about what happened in the hours before Panettiere was found unresponsive. While the initial investigation has ruled out foul play, suspecting an overdose-induced cardiac arrest, Vogel is not so convinced.
According to the account Vogel said she received, Brian Hickerson told police that Hayden had been getting ready around 10:30 a.m. before he left the property. He reportedly later returned and went to sleep. At some point, Hickerson’s brother Zach reportedly arrived, and Panettiere was subsequently found unresponsive.
Now, Vogel questions how Brian could have been nearby and not realized something was wrong. She said, "I don’t know how you can take a nap near someone who’s dying and not realize something’s wrong."
Hickerson has not been accused of causing Panettiere’s death, and authorities have not publicly announced evidence of foul play. His brother has separately said that Hickerson attempted to revive Panettiere after finding her unconscious and administered Narcan, which is used to reverse opioid overdoses.
On the day of Hayden's death, responders were reportedly called to the South Carolina residence shortly before 2 p.m. The actress was reportedly found in cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead shortly afterward. An autopsy reportedly found no signs of trauma that contributed to her death. Dispatch audio referenced an apparent overdose, but that does not establish an official cause of death.
Authorities have said the official cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation and additional studies. The circumstances have also reportedly drawn the attention of narcotics investigators, although many details surrounding the investigation remain undisclosed.
What are your thoughts on Lesley Vogel's new revelations about Hayden Panettiere and Brian Hickerson?
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