The remark was an apparent reference to Panettiere who died, aged 36, in Greenville on August 16.
Her death remains under investigation and toxicology results have not yet been released.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office previously said there were no signs of trauma, while the official cause of death has yet to be determined.
According to accounts of Saturday’s incident, Brian had been drinking for several hours with Zach at a table towards the back of the Wild Wing Cafe before getting up and going to the bar.
He was reportedly speaking to other people when an argument developed and he picked up a bar stool and threw it backwards.
Video from the scene showed Brian being picked up and carried out of the venue by another man as a bartender could be heard shouting: “Let him go!”
Brian and Zach were subsequently involved in an altercation with other people outside the restaurant before Greenville police officers arrived.
Zach was reported to be heavily intoxicated and shouting profanities and was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge. Brian was placed in handcuffs but was ultimately released without being charged.
The incident comes as investigators continue examining the circumstances surrounding Panettiere’s death.
Brian recently met with the US Drug Enforcement Administration as part of the investigation, according to People, which reported authorities were following leads concerning a possible drug supplier. Brian has not been named as a suspect.
Brian and Zach were both present at the Greenville property where Panettiere was found unresponsive.
According to the police incident report, Zach told officers Brian had been sleeping in another room when Panettiere was discovered unresponsive in a chair.
Zach said Brian administered Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, and that CPR was performed while they communicated with emergency dispatchers.
Emergency services responded to the Greenville property after receiving a report of a woman in cardiac arrest.
Panettiere was pronounced dead at the scene after attempts to save her.
Authorities said there were no signs of trauma.
The investigation has remained in the spotlight while toxicology testing is completed.
Panettiere had released her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, earlier this year, in which she discussed her experiences with fame, addiction, motherhood and other difficulties in her personal life.
The actor became internationally known as indestructible cheerleader Claire Bennet in the NBC superhero drama Heroes before starring as country singer Juliette Barnes in Nashville, a performance that earned her two Golden Globe nominations.
Her film career included Remember the Titans, Racing Stripes and the Scream franchise, in which she played fan favourite Kirby Reed in Scream 4 before returning to the role in Scream VI. She also voiced Dot in Pixar’s A Bug’s Life.
Her final film was the 2026 thriller, Sleepwalker.
Panettiere and Brian Hickerson began an on-off relationship in 2018.
Brian was arrested in connection with domestic violence allegations during their relationship and in 2021 pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend.
He subsequently served jail time and was ordered to attend domestic violence classes.
The latest incident follows renewed scrutiny of Brian’s previous encounters at bars.
TMZ reported last month that he had been banned from at least three establishments in the Greenville area in the months before Panettiere’s death.
Footage also emerged this month of a separate incident at Barney’s Beanery in West Hollywood in August 2025, during which Brian was arrested after employees attempted to remove him from the venue.