Beauty brand Neutrogena has acknowledged making its former ambassador Hayden Panettiere “feel unsupported during a very difficult time”, alluding to when the late Hollywood actor said the company severed ties with her after she spoke about enduring postpartum depression (PPD).
Neutrogena issued a statement addressing the situation four days after the 36-year-old actor was found dead at an apartment complex in Greenville, South Carolina.
Fan backlash and brand response
The aftermath of the Heroes and Nashville star’s unexpected death had seen her fans circulate a podcast interview from May in which she recounted how Neutrogena cut off its relationship with her after she had detailed her experiences with PPD.
Some of her supporters also published comments criticizing Neutrogena on social media, including calls to boycott the brand over its treatment of Panettiere, who is seen by many as only the latest victim of an industry with a history of letting its younger stars down.
Neutrogena’s statement on Thursday then said it was “deeply saddened by Hayden Panettiere’s passing” and referred to her as a “valued member of our … community” after she was affiliated with the company for a decade beginning in 2005.
“We are proud to have partnered with her and understand that we made her feel unsupported during this difficult time,” Neutrogena’s statement continued. “This is not what Neutrogena stands for or who we want to be.”
Panettiere’s account of the fallout
The skincare products manufacturer did not elaborate. But in an interview three months earlier with podcaster Jay Shetty, Panettiere explained how she had once made impromptu remarks about having faced PPD during a live interview – and that prompted a phone call in which she learned “Neutrogena wanted to fire me over that.
“I had no intention of or plan to talk about postpartum depression,” Panettiere said to Shetty. “It just came up, and I was just being honest. And never for a second did I think that anyone – or care that anyone – would have a bad reaction to it. It was my truth.”
Panettiere added: “I had the morals clauses. They caught absolutely everything. And of all the things … that they would fire me over, this was the last thing that I thought they would ever fire me over.”
She said her representative “saved the day that year” by replying to Neutrogena with something to the effect of: “That’s illegal. You can’t do that.” Nonetheless, Panettiere said: “I knew that was going to be it – that … I was not going to be invited back the next year. And I had worked with these people for 10 years. And I remember not hearing a word from anybody.
“Not a ‘great working with you for 10 years’. Not a nice … ‘hope you’re good. We wish you well.’ And I remember that really breaking my heart.”
Postpartum depression and legacy
In her memoir This Is Me, which also came out in May, Panettiere documented scars from a full-time acting career that began when she was five, preceding alcohol addiction and mental health struggles.
The book said she grappled with PPD after the birth in 2014 of her daughter, Kaya, with then-lineal heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko. Panettiere’s daughter, who is now 11, began living with Klitschko full-time in his native Ukraine when she was two.
PPD can affect up to 14% of people who give birth, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The clinic says PPD can be characterized by “feeling sad, worthless, hopeless or guilty” or “worrying excessively or feeling on edge”, among other symptoms. “You may also feel that you can’t care for your baby or for yourself,” according to Cleveland Clinic.
Panettiere, who entered rehab in 2015 while filming Nashville, told Shetty: “I think there’s been this very common misconception that I just gave up my child. That could not be farther from the truth.”
The Greenville coroner’s office completed an autopsy of Panettiere on Monday. The agency said her cause of death was pending further investigation.
Neutrogena, meanwhile, said it initially waited on releasing its statement about Panettiere “out of respect for Hayden’s family and loved ones”. Without elaborating, Neutrogena also promised to make “a significant investment to a longstanding community health partner to help give more women access to the support they need, including care for postpartum depression”. “Hayden’s courage in sharing her challenges helped inspire important conversations and awareness,” the company said.
