Hayden Panettiere's ex-boyfriend flagged for drug use days before actress's death

Bryan Hickerson, the former boyfriend of late actress Hayden Panettiere, was reportedly under the influence of drugs during a May interview, just three days before her August 16 death. The interview with TMZ, where Hickerson discussed Panettiere's documented abuse in her book, lasted 15 minutes. Authorities stated that Hickerson appeared to be under the effects of a stimulant during the conversation.

Prosecutors argued that Hickerson's condition during the interview was significant because his lawyer had claimed the man was sober and seeking to have his criminal record expunged. Hickerson had filed a second request in July to have his records cleared, asserting he had met his probation conditions. However, prosecutors opposed the petition, citing two arrests in 2025 in Los Angeles where Hickerson was allegedly under the influence of a substance. One of these arrests was dismissed due to insufficient evidence, while the other led to a misdemeanor charge for being under the influence of a controlled substance.

In 2021, Hickerson was convicted of domestic violence against Panettiere. He received a 45-day jail sentence, a $500 fine, four years of probation, and was required to attend domestic violence classes. According to reports, two days after the August 13 hearing, Hickerson and Panettiere traveled to South Carolina. The actress was found unresponsive the following day in a Greenville residence and was pronounced dead. Her brother, Zack, found Panettiere while Bryan Hickerson was asleep. The responding officer noted Zack was visibly shaken, while Bryan showed no emotional reaction until the actress was declared deceased.