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It’s been three days since the death of Hayden Panettiere, and new details about the actress’ final hours are still pouring in.
We now know Hayden was at an apartment complex with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, at the time of her death.
And with Panettiere’s death still under investigation, police have made a notable visit to a Hickerson family home.
According to TMZ, the visit was part of a larger investigation to determine if criminal conduct may have played a role in Hayden’s passing.
Two Greenville Police Department vehicles reportedly arrived at the South Carolina residence of Hickerson’s grandmother, Betty Ellison, at approximately 8:20 a.m.
Witnesses say an officer knocked repeatedly on the front door while another attempted to access the home from the side. The officers left after roughly three minutes.
TMZ later reported that police returned about 90 minutes later to “conduct a welfare check.” A Greenville Police Department representative confirmed the visit but did not specify who the officers were checking on.
Hickerson’s brother, Zach, 38, was reportedly inside the home during the initial visit. Brian, 37, and Zach had both been seen at the property the previous day.
The residence is approximately five miles from the Greenville Airbnb where Panettiere was found unresponsive on Sunday, August 16.
The 36-year-old actress was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m. after emergency responders attempted to revive her. Dispatch audio reportedly referenced a possible overdose and cardiac arrest, though an official cause of death has not been released.
An autopsy found “no signs of trauma” that would have contributed to Panettiere’s death. However, the investigation remains active while authorities await toxicology results.
Brian was reportedly at the Airbnb when Panettiere died. According to a police report, he was asleep in another room when Zach discovered the actress unresponsive in a chair.
Brian also reportedly showed officers a bag containing medications Panettiere had been taking.
The circumstances surrounding Panettiere’s final days have drawn increased scrutiny because of her complicated history with Hickerson. The pair dated on and off for years, and Hickerson was convicted of felony charges related to domestic violence against the actress in 2021.
Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, has also publicly criticized Hickerson’s role in her daughter’s life following the actress’ death.
For now, authorities have not publicly accused Hickerson or anyone else of wrongdoing in connection with Panettiere’s death.
But with the investigation ongoing and toxicology results still pending, there are clearly plenty of unanswered questions surrounding the tragedy.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.
Brian Hickerson’s Family Home Receives Visit From Police Following Death of Hayden … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
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Jill Duggar is preparing to rehome the family dog.
Over a year after Derick Dillard left his job, he has completed his training to become a military lawyer.
In 2021, the Dillards adopted their beloved canine companion.
Now, they’ll have to find a new home for her before they move as part of their new lives as a military family.
After 5 years, Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard are aiming to rehome Fenna.
They did not publicly announce this news, such as by posting it on their family website or on one of the Dillard family social media pages.
Instead, Derick posted to a Facebook group titled “Northwest Arkansas Dog Talk.”
The actual title, and not the AI-generated slop that Meta added to it, was: “Rehoming family dog due to upcoming military move!!”
Within the post, he shared details about Fenna, the family dog of five years.
“Name: Fenna,” he wrote. “Breed: German Shepherd mix ([paperwork] when we adopted her in Rogers, AR in Jan. 2021 said she was Belgian Malinois, but we did the DNA Embark test and it showed mostly German Shepherd.)”
Derick continued: “Other: She is fixed, chipped and overall healthy dog.”
He assessed: “She loves our active kids (ages 11-4), loves being outside, but also ok in kennel.”
Derick detailed: “We went through 1st level of Petco classes after adopting her, so she knows basic commands (e.g. sit, stay, place, here, & likes when the kids make her jump through the hoola hoop for treats etc.).”
He then implored members of the Facebook group: “Help us find her a loving home! DM us if interested!”
Naturally, Derick Dillard is just enough of a public figure that this immediately broke containment — while not being famous enough to have someone who looks into things for him (or just, you know, having enough money to not need this job or to move).
On social media, people exchanged strong opinions about this move.
Many cannot imagine taking a member of the family of 5 years and just sending them to another household due to a move.
However, others pointed out that this isn’t about uprooting the family to Rhode Island. It’s about the military lifestyle.
Temporary military housing is often not a place for a pet — especially for a larger dog. And, according to Derick, it could be up to eight months until the Dillards are even allowed to have a dog.
Many people across social media are sharing their experiences.
Numerous commenters — even those who do not regard Derick or any others in the extended Duggar clan with a charitable eye — noted that a new home might be what’s best for Fenna.
Dogs — especially young, active dogs — need space to run around, they need loving families who can shower them with affection and help them to keep their routines.
A number of folks discussed memories of losing their own pets, including during moves, as children. This can sometimes be a traumatic experience with effects on how one views pets and personal loss. The emotional impact can outlive almost any pet (except, like, a tortoise or certain parrots).
And others remarked on how this will be a major adjustment for Jill Duggar. She’s a military wife. That’s just going to be different, especially for someone who grew up in a cult and is still playing catch-up with the real world.
Jill Duggar Announces Plans to ‘Rehome’ 5-Year-Old Dog was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
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Hayden Panettiere was still dealing with the physical consequences of a bizarre on-set accident more than two decades later.
Panettiere, who died on Sunday at age 36, suffered serious injuries when she was thrown from a zebra while filming the 2005 movie Racing Stripes in South Africa.
Panettiere was just 14 at the time of the accident.
According to her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, the actress suffered whiplash, a concussion, and injuries to two vertebrae after falling from the animal. She later revealed that she largely kept quiet about the severity of her injuries and continued working.
“I kept my mouth shut and endured the pain in my back and neck,” she wrote, explaining that the injuries continued to affect her more than 20 years later.
And that pain appears to have remained a significant problem in the final months of her life.
Panettiere was photographed using crutches at Los Angeles International Airport in March. Around the same time, she was experiencing a frightening episode in which she temporarily struggled to move her legs.
“I quite literally woke up, and felt nothing but pins and needles from my waist down,” she said during a May interview with Women’s Health. “I wasn’t able to bend my toes, lift my foot at all.”
The actress said doctors initially could not determine what was causing the problem.
“It was like that for so long that I was sitting there going, ‘Oh, my gosh, am I going to be paralyzed for the rest of my life?’” she recalled. “It’s the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me physically, for sure.”
Panettiere’s longtime friend and hairstylist, Erick Orellana, previously told Page Six that her back problems had become “really severe.”
“At one point, it was even hard for her to move her legs,” he said, though he believed she was “starting to be on the mend.”
Panettiere’s boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, reportedly told police that she was on nine different medications in the days leading up to her death.
The physical pain was just one of several struggles Panettiere faced before her sudden death.
The official cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation. An autopsy found “no signs of trauma” that contributed to her death, according to the Greenville County Coroner’s Office.
For Panettiere, however, the physical trauma from that seemingly innocent movie stunt had followed her for most of her adult life.
And it appears she was still paying the price for it right up until the final months of her life.
Hayden Panettiere Was Plagued By Injury From Fall Off Zebra In Her Final Days was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
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As the world continues to process Hayden Panettiere’s tragic death, mourning fans are learning more about where things stood.
Unfortunately, the actress had quietly gotten back together with Brian Hickerson, the guy who pleaded no contest to punching her just a few years ago. (One of multiple known domestic violence incidents.)
Now, a series of threatening texts that he apparently sent to Panettiere have been published.
Be warned, the sheer malice of these words is difficult to read, to say nothing of the violent context.
TMZ obtained documents stemming from Hickerson’s February 14, 2020 arrest for domestic battery.
(There is no good day to punch one’s partner, but choosing Valentine’s Day for such an evil act seems extra despicable somehow.)
Like Panettiere’s death, this happened at an Airbnb.
A court order following the closed-fist blow prohibited Hickerson from contacting his victim.
That did not stop him from sending her a series of threatening texts — texts that sound a lot like an attempt at blackmail.
Hayden Panettiere’s mother Lesley Vogel slams Hayden’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.” pic.twitter.com/29dJvG6C3n
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) August 18, 2026
“Time to go to war I guess,” one of Hickerson’s alleged texts reads.
“After Wyoming and LA disappears so do the videos,” another message taunted.
“Even if i sit in a jail cell for ten years. All of the stuff that is vaulted overseas with my people will come out the second I step foot into prison,” what appears to be a clear blackmail threat announces.
“And all that does is hurt your name while simultaneously clearing my name,” Hickerson apparently claimed. “And at that point who actually cares?” Wow.
“Say something Hayd, so I don’t get defensive and start firing off emails to people to get ready,” another threatened.
“I thought his legal stuff would magically disappear,” another alleged text menaced. “We gotta figure something out, buddy.”
Hickerson’s texts continued in the report, reading: “It is very simple, it is a very simple fix, between me and you, you gotta make one phone call,” and “I don’t want to go to court, for you.”
An additional message threatened Hayden Panettiere with: “I will be f–king fine in court, trust me, it’s for you.”
Hickerson was sentenced to one year behind bars … and then the sentence was suspended, resulting in one year of probation.
The ways in which our society and legal system do not protect victims of domestic violence are staggering. The most evil men alive walk free while innocent people who have harmed no one spend years in prison for possession of a forbidden plant in some states.
We have no idea what video, if any, Brian Hickerson claimed to have of Hayden Panettiere. We also do not want to know.
To be clear, the Valentine’s Day 2020 episode was not his only time facing charges for domestic violence against Panettiere.
He ended up spending weeks in jail, years on probation. Hickerson was also ordered to take domestic violence prevention classes, a measure that many experts have pointed out is unlikely to work.
Domestic abusers do not actually “lose control” or simply misunderstand how to process their emotions or whatever else they may claim during the faux apology phase. Violence is a tool that they employ to get their way, to make them feel powerful and in control.
There are measures that a responsible society could employ to keep malefactors like Hickerson from harming anyone else ever again. But that would require caring about victims and justice and women and children and a lot of other things that do not seem to be priorities for lawmakers.
Brian Hickerson’s Threatening Texts to Hayden Panettiere, Exposed was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
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As the model reflected on her love for the “Man I Need” singer’s music after attending her The Art of Loving Live tour date in New…
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We recently learned that Brad Pitt is drinking again after seven years of sobriety.
Pitt believes he can drink responsibly after struggling with alcoholism in his younger years.
But according to at least one addiction expert, the Oscar winner is flirting with disaster.
Jessica Steinman, a Los Angeles addiction specialist and chief clinical officer for No Matter What Recovery, responded to Pitt’s recent revelation that he resumed drinking after seven years of sobriety.
While Steinman emphasized that she was not diagnosing Pitt with alcohol use disorder, she cautioned that returning to alcohol after struggling with substance use can be risky.
“There are people who struggle with substances and take a very large break, have a long period of sobriety and recovery, and they may choose to integrate it back into their lives,” Steinman told Fox News this week.
“As an addiction professional, as someone who’s been in this field for a very long time, I don’t see a whole lot of success with that.”
Steinman acknowledged that some people are able to return to drinking after years of sobriety without falling back into problematic patterns.
But she considers those people “anomalies and exceptions to the rule.”
And she says there can be a dangerous level of confidence that comes with years of sobriety.
“People think, ‘Oh, I’ve gone this long. I think I’m going to be able to manage it – I have the skills now. I have tools,’” she explained.
Steinman compared addiction to chronic health conditions that require ongoing management.
“I liken it to diabetes or heart disease – you have to manage this health issue,” she said. “And it’s the same thing for alcoholism and substance use issues.”
According to Steinman, addiction can alter the brain’s reward system, leaving it highly responsive to the dopamine associated with drinking or drug use.
“And that doesn’t go away – it lays dormant,” she said. The addiction specialist compared that dormant response to a bear in hibernation.
“If you wake that bear … life can quickly become unmanageable,” Steinman warned. “So they want to be very mindful of that happening.”
Steinman also pointed to some potential warning signs for anyone who has returned to drinking after a period of sobriety.
Those signs can include consuming increasingly larger amounts, erratic behavior, drinking alone, secretly drinking, or beginning to drink during the day.
She also noted that “moderation” can mean very different things depending on the person.
“Is it one drink a day? Is it a drink at dinner only? I’ve had people try out moderation by not having liquor at all and just sticking to beer and wine,” Steinman said.
“So it’s all these different trials that they’re doing when someone starts seeing an escalation.”
Steinman generally advises against what she described as “testing the waters” with alcohol after a problematic relationship with it.
And her message is clear: A lengthy period of sobriety doesn’t necessarily mean the underlying problem has disappeared.
Anyone noticing problematic behaviors involving alcohol or drugs, she advised, should speak with an addiction counselor.
Pitt, meanwhile, says he is confident he knows his limits. Whether an expert would agree with that assessment is another matter entirely.
Brad Pitt’s Return to Drinking Will Have ‘Dangerous’ Consequences, … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
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