Scream actress Hayden Panettiere pulled the curtain back on her life and career in a much-talked-about memoir. Her book details everything from her struggles with postpartum to depression to her experiences in Hollywood. The Nashville star also sheds light on her upbringing and where she stands with her mother, who was once her manager. But Hayden Panettiere’s mother strongly disagrees with her daughter’s perception of their relationship. She had harsh words about the memoir, slamming it as “drama.” Keep reading for more on the situation.
Hayden Panettiere Tells All In Brutally Honest Memoir
Hayden Panettiere has been acting for nearly her entire life. She began working in commercials when she was a toddler before moving on to soap operas, and eventually, prime-time and movies. The actress is only 36 but has experienced more life at her age than many of us will in our lifetimes. And now she’s ready to tell her story.
Hayden Panettiere laid bare her struggles and successes in her personal and professional life in a new memoir. This is Me: A Reckoning is part of the actress’s healing journey after struggling with postpartum depression and addiction. She revealed in the book why she gave up custody of her young daughter.
She also opened up about a terrifying experience where she was expected to perform sexual acts on an older actor. The memoir also addresses her tense relationship with her mother, who served as her manager early in her career.
Hayden Panettiere addressed the contents of her memoir earlier this week on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast. She revealed that she cut business ties with her mom when she was starring on NBC’s Heroes. “Everything was business. I became the confidant and the assistant and the therapist and the shoulder to cry on and everything but her child,” the actress said about her relationship with her mother before severing ties.
“I said to her, ‘I don’t want us to work together anymore. I just want you to be my mom,’” she recalled. However, her mother’s reaction wasn’t what she expected. According to Hayden Panettiere, her mother responded with three words: “You owe me.”
“The fact that she didn’t care to have a relationship with me was a tough pill to swallow,” the actress admitted on the podcast. She’s been estranged from her mom ever since.
Hayden Panettiere’s Mother Slams Memoir As ‘Drama’
Hayden Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, denied her daughter’s recounting of their estrangement in several interviews. Last week she told the Daily Mail that it was her choice, not Hayden Panettiere’s, to go no-contact. After 20 years of trauma, chaos, addictions [and] accusations, I felt I had no other option but to choose no contact. There will forever be a lingering hope that she will find her own path to inner peace,” she told the outlet.
She gave a similar comment to Page Six after interest in the memoir grew. “When someone leaves, the smear campaign begins; accusations, anger, belittling, gaslighting, etc. are the classic signs of this behavior style,” she said.
Hayden Panettiere’s mother added, “The craving of drama and punitive action is traditional and to be expected.” This is Me: A Reckoning hits bookstores on Tuesday, May 19. Share your reaction to the estrangement in the comments.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
