What To Know
- Hayden Panettiere’s estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, spoke publicly for the first time since her daughter’s death.
- Panettiere and Vogel were reportedly estranged after Hayden ended their professional relationship.
Warning: The following post contains discussions of domestic abuse.
In the wake of Hayden Panettiere‘s shocking death at age 36, her estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, is breaking her silence and speaking out about one of the most controversial relationships in her daughter’s life.
“I think Hayden was an amazingly talented person in so many departments,” Vogel told NBC News on Tuesday, August 18. “And I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry, it is a struggle, and it’s a very challenging industry, and it’s not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path.”
In her comments to NBC News, Vogel told the news outlet that the family had concerns about Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson.
“This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death, and that was Brian Hickerson,” Vogel told NBC News by phone.
In her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, Panettiere detailed alleged abuse by Hickerson, including an incident she said left her unable to leave the house for weeks. She initially hesitated to report the alleged abuse, fearing public attention. Hickerson was arrested in May 2019 on suspicion of injuring a spouse or girlfriend.
According to NBC News, Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were both at the scene when Panettiere died.
“I think Hayden was an amazingly talented person in so many departments, and I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry — it is a struggle, and it’s a very challenging industry, and it’s not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path,” she explained during the phone interview.
“I think it becomes very difficult to be true to yourself, and I think Hayden sadly lost her way, and I wish it were different. I wish she had stayed true to herself because she had many incredible attributes.”
According to Page Six, Panettiere and Vogel were not on speaking terms before the star’s death. In her memoir, Panettiere made various claims about her relationship with her mom, who previously managed her career.
During an appearance on The Jay Shetty Podcast to promote her book, Panettiere explained how she “fired” Vogel, and the two became estranged due to their “momager” dynamic.
“She came into my trailer during lunch when we were filming Heroes, and I said to her, ‘I don’t want us to work together anymore; I just want you to be my mom,’” Panettiere recalled to Vogel, who allegedly replied, “You owe me.”
But the response she says she received left a lasting impact. “And that’s all she said. And she walked out,” explained the actress. “And part of me was like, ‘Oh, I’m relieved that it was short, like, rip the Band-Aid off.’ But then it was like this dark looming cloud over my head going, ‘What does she mean by I owe her? What form of payment is she expecting?’”
“It was a tough pill to swallow. Everything was business,” Panettiere recalled. “I became the confidant and the assistant and the therapist and the shoulder to cry on and everything but her child. And it was disappointing to find out that it was money and that she didn’t pursue a relationship with me as just a mother-daughter.”
If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic abuse, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233.