Brian Hickerson is Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend. Early Thursday morning, Hickerson was booked on felony domestic charges, according to TMZ, after police were called amid reports of a dispute and allegedly found red marks on Panettieres’ skin.
Per TMZ, police interviewed the couple after arriving to an unidentified home at two in the morning on Thursday, and arrested Hickerson after determining that he was the one who allegedly started a fight.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Panettiere & Hickerson Have Been Dating Since August
Panettiere was first reported to be dating Hickerson in August, following the split from her former fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko. Us Weekly, one of the publications that reported on the relationship at the time, noted that Hickerson was originally from South Carolina but that a source explained he “hangs with the L.A. crowd.”
On August 3, Panettiere was seen with Hickerson for one of the first times in public; he was described as a “hot guy friend” by TMZ, and was videotaped “saving” her from a swarm of paparazzi.
Though Hickerson and Panettiere have been out and about on a number of occasions since then, they don’t speak publicly about their relationship to one another, and have kept it largely under wraps.
2. Panettiere Dated Wladimir Klitschko For Nine Years
Panettiere and Klitschko, a professional boxer, dated for nine years prior to breaking up in the summer of 2018. Panettiere and Klitschko have one daughter together, named Kaya. Per Us Weekly, Kaya spends a majority of her time with her father and his family in Europe, but the exact custody arrangements are unclear.
Panettiere and Klitschko began dating in 2009; they broke up for a brief period in 2011, then were engaged in 2013. It’s unclear when, exactly, the two broke up.
3. Hickerson Fake-Proposed to Panettiere November
In November, Hickerson was videotaped getting down on one knee and “proposing” to Panettiere, saying, “Dakota Fanning, will you please marry me?”
The couple were at Rock & Reilly’s on the Sunset Strip at the time; witnesses reported that he said prior to the proposal, “Everyone shut the f*ck up, I’m proposing to my girlfriend.”
4. Hickerson Has Been Involved in an Apparent Domestic Dispute With His Father in the Past
Last October, a month prior to his faux-proposal, TMZ reported another domestic dispute related to Hickerson, one in which police apparently responded to a call for assault and battery at a house where Hickerson was staying with his father and Panettiere in Greenville, South Carolina.
TMZ reports that Panetteire admitted she and Hickerson’s father had been drinking prior to the alleged altercation; it doesn’t appear that Hickerson was charged with any crimes for that situation.
5. Hickerson’s Social Media Reveals a Few Pictures of Hayden; She Doesn’t Have a Public Instagram
Hickerson and Panettiere appear to have a very low-key relationship. She’s featured in a few of his Instagram photos, and doesn’t even have an Instagram account, herself.
Panettiere does have a verified Twitter account. her bio reads, “Actress, Activist.” She posts rarely on it, but does occasionally share photos of her private life, including some photos of her daughter — though she doesn’t appear to ever show her face.
Panettiere’s most recent Twitter post is from February, where she posted a photo cheering on Duke basketball.