‘Nashville’ Star Hayden Panettiere Involved in an Ugly Parking Lot Brawl [Watch]
Hayden Panettiere — the star of ABC and CMT's Nashville for six seasons — and her boyfriend Brian Hickerson were the centerpieces of a brawl in Los Angeles on Thursday night (March 24). Video shows Hickerson being held back after a wild parking lot scrum.
TMZ was first to share the news and video, reporting that it began inside the Sunset Marquis. The other people involved say that Hickerson spit on them and everyone got kicked out. It escalated just outside the entrance and spilled into the parking lot or street.
Shouting and curse words are heard throughout the three-minute-long clip. Panettiere is on the ground in the middle of all of it.
It's not clear how many punches and kicks are landed, although at one point, someone in black hammers on Hickerson's back. Panettiere's boyfriend is definitely eager to fight and can be seen breaking away from security on at least one occasion. Someone from the other side runs in and jumps him, pulling him to the ground. That same person is later pulled to the ground by the actress.
After all parties disperse, the actress walks toward and then away from the person recording, making it almost seem like she was aware of the filming. Security has her by the shoulder, but Hickerson isn't in the frame. Someone alludes to a "white boy" going to jail, but the police are never seen. Fox News notes that authorities did respond to the scene, but no one was there by that time.
This incident is the latest in the couple's violent history together. Hickerson was sentenced to 45 days in county jail in April 2021 after pleading no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend. All of this stemmed from incidents between May 2019 and June 2020. Documents show Panettiere was the victim.
"I am coming forward with the truth about what happened to me with the hope that my story will empower others in abusive relationships to get the help they need and deserve," Panettiere said in a statement in July 2020. "I am prepared to do my part to make sure this man never hurts anyone again. I'm grateful for my support system, which helped me find the courage to regain my voice and my life."
The couple were spotted together on several occasions as 2021 ended, but said they were just friends. TMZ and several other outlets label Hickerson as her boyfriend currently. The 32-year-old actor has a daughter with Vladimir Klitschko, who is currently in the Ukraine defending his country.