Brian Hickerson Details Past Abuse as Hayden Panettiere Memoir Reignites Scrutiny

Hayden Panettiere has a memoir on the way, and right on cue, her ex Brian Hickerson is speaking up about their past. The timing is not subtle. He talked to TMZ ahead of the release, owned some of it, tried to show he has done work on himself, and even plugged the book. It is a lot.

The timing

Hickerson did an interview with TMZ on Tuesday, May 12, days before Panettiere's memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," arrives on Tuesday, May 19. He addressed their history directly and, frankly, did not sugarcoat the core issue.

What he owned up to

He acknowledged the abuse allegations from their relationship and pointed to his arrest record as the obvious proof. He also said he understands why people in Hayden's life would still be angry with him.

"Man, I mean, I think it speaks for itself ... I got arrested for abusing her."

Talking about the 2020 incident, he said alcohol was a factor and that he got physical with her, leading to an arrest and a night in jail.

"I had a lot to drink and I got physical with her. I got arrested... that’s just what happens when you lay hands on women."

How we got here: a quick timeline

• 2018: Panettiere and Hickerson are first linked romantically.
• 2019: Hickerson is arrested after an alleged domestic violence incident involving Panettiere. He is charged with felony domestic violence and ordered to stay away from her. Those charges are later dropped.
• 2020: Hickerson is arrested again following another domestic violence altercation with Panettiere. He ultimately serves 33 days in jail, receives four years of probation, and is ordered to pay a $500 fine.

Where things stand now (according to him)

Hickerson says he has had "a couple opportunities" to apologize to Panettiere. He says he is attending AA and going to therapy. As for their current status, he describes it as mutual respect and calls them "good buddies," adding that she will always have a special place in his heart. That is his framing.

The book, and what he asked to leave out

Hickerson called Panettiere's memoir "incredible" and told people to read it. He even flagged a section he says addresses the domestic violence: "I think it’s like page 272." He also admitted it was rough to read about himself in that context, but said he made himself be vulnerable.

He also asked Panettiere to omit one specific incident from the book. His own description of it is not great:

"There’s a story where I was drunk. Hayden was standing across and I had a phone in my hand and I said, 'I’ll give you 10 seconds to run as fast as you can before I throw it at you.'"

His broader take on responsibility

Hickerson said more people who have committed abuse should be reading survivors' stories, and he argued that education about domestic violence needs to start earlier in life.

"My biggest thing about domestic violence is I don’t think it is taught early enough in life... Never in my life did I get taught what domestic violence was. Maybe if I did at an early age, maybe I wouldn’t have done what I did."

Release date and resources

"This Is Me: A Reckoning" is out Tuesday, May 19.

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