Neutrogena has responded to mounting backlash following the death of former brand ambassador Hayden Panettiere. The American actress, who starred in Heroes and Nashville, died aged 36 at her home in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday (August 16).
Actress spoke about being fired over morality clause
Months before her passing, Panettiere appeared on the On Purpose With Jay Shetty podcast, during which she said Neutrogena had fired her for breaking her "morality clause" by speaking about postpartum depression.
She said: "Neutrogena was a huge part of my life. I had the morals clauses, they caught absolutely everything. And of all the things that they would fire me over, this is the last thing that I thought they would ever fire me for.
"So when I got that call that Neutrogena wanted to fire me over that, my representative at the time said, ‘That’s illegal. You can’t do that’. Even though she saved the day that year, I knew that that was going to be it. I was not going to be invited back the next year."
In the interview, Panettiere also said she "had no intention or plan to talk about postpartum depression" but that "it just came up and I was just being honest, and never for a second did I think that anyone cared or that anyone would have a bad reaction to it".
Neutrogena issues statement
Now, Neutrogena has said it understands it made Panettiere "feel unsupported during a difficult time" as the skincare company issued a statement in response to the backlash following the resurfaced comments.
A statement from Neutrogena said the company is "deeply saddened by Hayden Panettiere’s passing". It added: "For more than a decade, Hayden was a deeply valued member of our Neutrogena community. We are proud to have partnered with her and understood that we made her feel unsupported during a very difficult time.
"This is not what Neutrogena stands for or who we want to be. Hayden’s courage in sharing her challenges helped inspire important conversations and awareness. We are making a significant investment to a long-standing community health partner to help give more women access to the support they need, including care for postpartum depression. We will share more details with this community when plans are in place.
"Out of respect for Hayden’s loved ones, we did not want to speak out so soon following her passing. Everyone at Neutrogena extends their deepest condolences to Hayden’s family and all who loved her."
Struggles detailed in memoir
The US actress discussed her struggles following the birth of her daughter Kaya, now 11, in her 2026 memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning. She wrote: "Ever since Kaya’s birth, all my natural optimism and pep had vanished. The three months I planned to take off seemed like an eternity, with long days of nothingness stretching before me. When Kaya cried, I struggled to soothe her, feeling desperate, inadequate, and out of control."
Police in Greenville said Panettiere, who had struggled with addiction and her mental health, was found unresponsive and in cardiac arrest, with "no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances".
