{"id":591764,"date":"2026-08-21T17:14:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T17:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/591764\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T17:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T17:14:10","slug":"neutrogena-responds-to-criticism-over-how-brand-deal-with-hayden-panettiere-ended-us-television","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/591764\/","title":{"rendered":"Neutrogena responds to criticism over how brand deal with Hayden Panettiere ended | US television"},"content":{"rendered":"

The beauty brand Neutrogena has acknowledged making its former ambassador Hayden Panettiere<\/a> \u201cfeel unsupported during a very difficult time\u201d \u2013 alluding to when the late Hollywood actor said the company severed ties with her after she spoke about enduring postpartum depression (PPD).<\/p>\n

Neutrogena issued a statement addressing the situation four days after the 36-year-old actor was found dead<\/a> at an apartment complex in Greenville, South Carolina.<\/p>\n

The aftermath of the Heroes and Nashville star\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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<\/a> with a history of letting its younger stars down.<\/p>\n

Neutrogena\u2019s statement<\/a> on Thursday then said it was \u201cdeeply saddened by Hayden Panettiere\u2019s passing\u201d and referred to her as a \u201cvalued member of our \u2026 community\u201d after she was affiliated with the company for a decade beginning in 2005.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are proud to have partnered with her and understand that we made her feel unsupported during this difficult time,\u201d Neutrogena\u2019s statement continued. \u201cThis is not what Neutrogena stands for or who we want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

The skincare products manufacturer did not elaborate. But in an interview<\/a> three months earlier with podcaster Jay Shetty, Panettiere explained how she had once made impromptu remarks about having faced PPD during a live interview in 2015 with talkshow hosts Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they tell you about postpartum depression, you think about \u2013 \u2018OK, I feel negative feelings towards my child. I want to injure my child. I want to hurt my child,\u2019\u201d Panettiere said back then. \u201cI\u2019ve never, ever had those feelings. But you \u2026 don\u2019t realize [how] broad of a spectrum you can really experience that on, and it\u2019s something I think that needs to be talked about. And women need to know that they\u2019re not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

She later learned that \u201cNeutrogena wanted to fire me over that\u201d, she said to Shetty.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had no intention of or plan to talk about postpartum depression,\u201d Panettiere said. \u201cIt just came up, and I was just being honest. And never for a second did I think that anyone \u2013 or care that anyone \u2013 would have a bad reaction to it. It was my truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Panettiere added: \u201cI had the morals clauses. They caught absolutely everything. And of all the things \u2026 that they would fire me over, this was the last thing that I thought they would ever fire me over.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said her representative \u201csaved the day that year\u201d by replying to Neutrogena with something to the effect of: \u201cThat\u2019s illegal. You can\u2019t do that.\u201d Nonetheless, Panettiere said Neutrogena declined to renew her contract when it expired.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had worked with these people for 10 years,\u201d Panettiere recalled to Shetty. \u201cAnd I remember not hearing a word from anybody.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot a \u2018great working with you for 10 years\u2019. Not a nice \u2026 \u2018hope you\u2019re good. We wish you well.\u2019 And I remember that really breaking my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The book said she grappled with PPD after the birth in 2014 of her daughter, Kaya, with then lineal heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko<\/a>, Panettiere\u2019s fiance at the time. Kaya, who is now 11, began living with Klitschko full-time in his native Ukraine when she was two.<\/p>\n

PPD can affect up to 14% of people who give birth, according to the Cleveland Clinic<\/a>. The clinic says PPD can be characterized by \u201cfeeling sad, worthless, hopeless or guilty\u201d or \u201cworrying excessively or feeling on edge\u201d, among other symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou may also feel that you can\u2019t care for your baby or for yourself,\u201d according to the Cleveland Clinic.<\/p>\n

Panettiere, who entered rehab in 2015 while filming Nashville, told Shetty: \u201cI think there\u2019s been this very common misconception that I just gave up my child. That could not be farther from the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Greenville coroner\u2019s office completed an autopsy of Panettiere on Monday. The agency said her cause of death was pending further investigation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Neutrogena, meanwhile, said it initially waited on releasing its statement about Panettiere \u201cout of respect for Hayden\u2019s family and loved ones\u201d.<\/p>\n

Without elaborating, Neutrogena also promised to make \u201ca significant investment to a longstanding community health partner to help give more women access to the support they need, including care for postpartum depression\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHayden\u2019s courage in sharing her challenges helped inspire important conversations and awareness,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n