Hayden Panettiere is reflecting on her complicated relationship with her mother, Lesley Vogel, who once served as her manager before they became estranged. In a candid account, the actress recalls key moments from their past, shedding light on the challenges the strained their relationship and how the separation has shaped her personal growth and perspective over the years.
Hayden Panettiere started appearing on TV when she was a baby, her first professional job being a commercial. From then on, she appeared in shows, including “Guiding Light” and “One Life to Live,” and also appeared in movies, such as “Remember the Titans” alongside Denzel Washington. Panettiere’s mother, who was once a soap opera actress, served as her manager.
In “On Purpose with Jay Shetty,” the 36-year-old actress shared how she severed her professional relationship with Vogel when she was 19 years old. At that time, Panettiere starred in the sci-fi NBC series “Heroes,” wherein she played the role of Claire Bennet.
“She came into my trailer during lunch when we were filming ‘Heroes’ and I said to her, ‘I don’t want us to work together anymore. I just want you to be my mom,’” to which Vogel replied, “You owe me.”
The Actress And Her Mother Are Not On Speaking Terms
Panettiere told Shetty that she didn’t expect that reaction. Moreover, she wasn’t sure what her mother meant when she said she owed her. “That’s all she said, and she walked out,” the actress said, explaining that she later found out Vogel wanted money.
After that exchange, Panettiere hoped she would somehow have a better relationship with her mother. However, she said “once the business aspect was removed,” Vogel didn’t seem to want a relationship with her anymore. The actress also revealed that they are currently estranged.
Panettiere said growing up with her mom as her manager was tough, and she was desperate to get her mother’s approval. “I had to make sure that she was happy with it and I wasn’t in trouble, because if I didn’t do it right, I was in trouble… It was not a good reaction,” she shared.
Hayden Panettiere Recalls A ‘Punch In The Gut’ Moment
Panettiere reflected on her life as a young actress, sharing that while she was still a child who was relying on her parents, she was also the one given the responsibility to make money. “I was working hard, making money, and this money was going towards things that I wasn’t privy to,” she said.
At one point in the interview, Panettiere became emotional as she talked about her younger brother, Jansen, who died in 2023 at just 28 years old due to an enlarged heart. Panettiere recalled a moment in which her mother once blamed her for missing out on her brother’s life due to accompanying her to auditions and being her manager. “That was a punch in the gut,” the actress said.
Panettiere said that while she was grateful, she wasn’t the one who decided to pursue an acting career. “I didn’t beg you to give me your life, to sacrifice all of this so that I could have this career,” she wanted to tell her mother.
The Actress Is Open To Mending Her Relationship With Her Mother
In an interview with Us Weekly, Panettiere said that while she and her mother currently don’t have a relationship, she is still open to the idea of reconciling with her. “That doesn’t mean that I don’t leave the door open for the opportunity to present itself one day. It’s hard for me to say, but I’ve chosen to be brutally honest,” she said.
Panettiere said that writing her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” and sharing her story was her way of being honest with her mother, and she knows she might not get a positive reaction. However, it’s her “way of doing it” after struggling to express her feelings throughout her childhood and early adulthood.
Lesley Vogel Responds To Her Daughter’s Interview
Elsewhere in the Us Weekly interview, Panettiere shared that she was bisexual. In response, Vogel told the Daily Mail, “I do not believe it was being hidden, but there is no historic proof that this is the case… I do think the timing of this coming out is very interesting.”
As for their estrangement, Vogel said they stopped communicating sometime in September 2025. “After 20 years of trauma, chaos, addictions, and accusations, I felt I had no other option but to choose no contact,” Vogel said, adding that she hopes Panettiere “will find her own path to inner peace.”
