Hayden Panettiere’s ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson slammed the star’s estranged mother Lesley Vogel amid a public clash over allegations the actress writes about in her forthcoming memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.
‘I do have some things to say about Hayden’s mom: Hayden’s mother is, by far, one of the worst people I’ve ever met in my life,’ Hickerson told TMZ in an item published Sunday. ‘I just can’t with her – she’s terrible.’
The topic that has sparked resentment was Panettiere, 36, stating that she has always been bisexual – having preferred females to males ‘a very, very young age’ – but was discouraged from letting others know.
The Heroes star said Vogel, who managed her at one point, had encouraged her to keep it to herself, so it wouldn’t impact her career negatively.
The comments come in contrast to what Vogel told the Daily Mail earlier this month, saying the ‘timing of this coming out is very interesting’ in an insinuation it was a marketing ploy to drive book sales.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Vogel and representatives for Panettiere for further comment on the story.
Hayden Panettiere’s ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson slammed her mother Lesley Vogel as ‘terrible’ as the estranged mother and daughter are publicly clashing over issues the actress writes about in her forthcoming memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning
Vogel added of her daughter’s sexuality: ‘I do not believe it was being hidden, but there is no historic proof that this is the case.’
Hickerson confirmed Panettiere’s bisexuality to TMZ, saying the Heroes star ‘is into beautiful people.’
The Palisades, New York-born beauty told US Weekly May 6, ‘Now that I know that this book is coming out, and that I’ve chosen to share it with the world, I’m comfortable saying I’m bisexual.’
Panettiere said, ‘I’m comfortable to confidently say that, yes, I am bisexual. I said it!’
She explained to Us Weekly about how the professional parameters she felt her mother placed on her leaked into her love life.
‘I didn’t really have the courage to throw myself fully, emotionally into it,’ the Nashville actress said, ‘because then if I did fall in love, that wasn’t something that I wanted to ever have to hide.’
She continued, ‘I didn’t feel confident enough, and I was too afraid to really let that part of me explore that part of me.’
Panettiere told the magazine that while she and Vogel ‘don’t have a relationship right now,’ she was staying optimistic fences could be mended in the future.
Hickerson confirmed Panettiere’s bisexuality to TMZ, saying the Heroes star ‘is into beautiful people.’ The former pair pictured in 2018 in LA
Hayden Panettiere, Lesley Vogel and the late Jansen Panettiere pictured in LA in 2019. Jansen tragically died from an enlarged heart in 2023
‘That doesn’t mean that I don’t leave the door open for the opportunity to present itself one day,’ Panettiere added.
Vogel told the Daily Mail that her estrangement with her daughter started around last September, and she made the call to put things on pause.
‘After 20 years of trauma, chaos, addictions [and] accusations, I felt I had no other option but to choose no contact,’ Vogel said. ‘There will forever be a lingering hope that she will find her own path to inner peace.’
Vogel told Page Six on May 14 she feels ‘the present drama is partially to sell books.’
She added, ‘There is a personality “style” which manifests as a need for control, entitlement and a lack of empathy.
‘The major fear is that someone will see through the mask they present to the world and discover who they truthfully are.’
Vogel continued, ‘This personality style does not accept responsibility for life choices and therefore feels they have no need to alter their behavior.’
Panettiere also discusses her stormy relationship with Hickerson in the book, saying it was marked by toxic cycles amid instances of domestic violence and abuse.
The New York-born beauty said earlier this month, ‘Now that I know that this book is coming out, and that I’ve chosen to share it with the world, I’m comfortable saying I’m bisexual.’ Pictured in LA in 2022
Vogel (pictured in LA in 2019) told the Daily Mail that she made the call to put things on pause with her daughter after decades of family dysfunction
‘I think it speaks for itself,’ Hickerson said. ‘I got arrested for abusing her, and I wouldn’t blame her friends for being pissed off with me, so I don’t really have much to say on that. You never lay hands on a woman, bottom line.’
Hickerson was charged with domestic violence in May of 2019, with Panettiere receiving a protective order in the case – as the charges were eventually dropped.
Hickerson in July of 2020 was arrested in connection with eight charges of domestic violence.
He eventually entered a no contest plea to a pair of felony counts of injuring a partner in 2021, with the rest of the charges dropped. Hickerson was in custody for 13 days in connection with the arrest.
After the arrest, Panettiere put out a statement saying she hoped she could serve as an example for others in a similar situation.
‘I am coming forward with the truth about what happened to me in the hope that my story will empower others in abusive relationships to get the help they need and deserve,’ she said.
Hickerson, who said he remains in regular contact with Panettiere, said he held out some hope they could resume their romance at some point, adding that ‘Hayden is one of the most talented people I’ve ever met in my life.’
This Is Me: A Reckoning is slated to be released on Tuesday.
