Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Diana Jenkins has vehemently denied baseless accusations that she was the friend who allegedly placed Hayden Panettiere in bed with an undressed older man when the actress was 18 years old.
Panettiere's Emotional Revelation
Panettiere, now 36, recently came out as bisexual and stunned fans this week by recounting a traumatic experience on Jay Shetty's On Purpose podcast. She described being coerced into a situation where a trusted friend physically guided her into a bed next to a very famous, undressed older celebrity aboard a boat. Fighting back tears, she explained that she was led to a small room and put into bed with the man, who acted as if it were a normal occurrence.
False Speculation Targets Jenkins
Following the podcast, false speculation spread online that Jenkins, 53, was the unnamed friend due to her past collaboration with Panettiere on a 2008 photography book titled Room 23. Jenkins' representatives quickly refuted the claims in a fiery statement to TMZ, saying: 'Diana has had to deal with false online rumors before, and sadly this is just another example of that. So let me be 100 percent clear about this: It most certainly is not Diana, and anyone who claims it is her will be sued.'
Details from the Memoir
The incident is further detailed in Panettiere's memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. During the podcast, Shetty referenced the memoir, asking about a moment where a friend took her onto a boat, led her to a room with an older man, and told her to perform sexual acts. Panettiere responded by noting that despite feeling mature at 18, her frontal lobes were not fully developed, making her incapable of fully understanding the situation. She described becoming ferocious, with her 'hair standing on end,' and insisted, 'This is not happening,' before fleeing the room and attempting to hide. She added that there was no escape and no one empathetic to her plight, realizing that this was nothing new to those involved.
Career Context
Panettiere rose to fame at age 17 in 2006 playing Claire Bennet, a high school cheerleader with regenerative abilities, on the television series Heroes. The revelation comes shortly after she came out as bisexual, expressing sadness that she had to wait until 36 to share that part of herself but stating, 'better late than never.' She told Us Weekly that she is now comfortable and confident in saying she is bisexual.
