Hayden Panettiere Says the Ex Who Abused Her Now Wants to Marry Her

Hayden Panettiere just shut the door on any future with ex Brian Hickerson, and honestly, given their history, that tracks.

What she said this week

Catching a flight out of LAX on Wednesday, May 13, Panettiere, 36, was asked if she could ever see herself marrying Hickerson, 37. She laughed, made it crystal clear she is not entertaining that idea, and kept it moving.

"It's not gonna happen."

This came hours after TMZ ran comments from Hickerson saying he has not ruled out a reunion or even marriage someday. He called her one of the most talented people he has ever met, said he thinks about marriage, and then immediately admitted they probably would not be good together if they tried again. So, mixed signals from him. No mixed signals from her.

Quick refresher on how we got here

• 2018: Panettiere, known for Heroes and Nashville, starts dating Hickerson.
• 2019: Hickerson is arrested after an alleged domestic violence incident involving Panettiere and ordered to stay away from her. The felony domestic violence charge is later dropped.
• 2020: He is arrested again for another alleged domestic violence altercation with Panettiere.
• 2021: Hickerson pleads no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend. Six other counts — including battery, assault with a deadly weapon, and dissuading a witness — are dismissed. He is sentenced to 45 days in county jail (credited for 12), serves 33 days total, is placed on four years of probation, and fined $500. Panettiere and Hickerson split after the second incident.

Her side, in her own words

Panettiere digs into the abuse and its aftermath in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, which hit shelves on Tuesday, May 19. In a recent Us Weekly cover story, she said the experience was brutal, traumatic, and emotionally heavy — and that she was deliberate about how she wrote it. The point of telling it now, she explained, is to help other people recognize they are not alone and to show that leaving a dangerous situation is possible, even if it takes time.

Where this leaves them

Hickerson may still be talking about a happily-ever-after. Panettiere is clearly not. And after everything that has happened, you cannot blame her for drawing a hard line.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.