After receiving backlash for its alleged mistreatment of Hayden Panettiere over a decade ago, Neutrogena is speaking out about its mistake following her death at 36. In a new statement, the brand said it was “deeply saddened” to learn of Panettiere’s tragic passing and acknowledged that the company made the young actress feel ostracized during a difficult time.
Neutrogena shared an image on its Instagram account, acknowledging Panettiere’s sudden death. “For more than a decade, Hayden was a valued member of our Neutrogena community,” the statement read.
We are proud to have partnered with her and understand that we made her feel unsupported during a very difficult time. This is not what Neutrogena stands for or who we want to be.”
For those who may have been unfamiliar, Panettiere was a spokesperson for the skincare brand more than a decade ago. Earlier this year, the actress said that the company ended its partnership with her when she spoke about postpartum depression in 2015.
Hayden Panettiere Said Neutrogena Was A ‘Huge Part Of My Life’
Panettiere opened up more about the moment during an episode of Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast. “Neutrogena was a huge part of my life,” she said. “I had the morals clause. 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 over.”
Panettiere said that she was simply being honest about what she was going through and never thought the brand would fire her over her experience. “I knew that that was gonna be it,” Panettiere said about the phone call she received following her 2015 comments. “I was not gonna be invited back the next year and I had worked with those people for 10 years.”
In Neutrogena’s statement, the company said the actress’ “courage” to speak out sparked “important conversations” and raised awareness on the issue. Elsewhere, the skincare brand said it was planning to make a “significant investment to a long-standing community health partner” to help give women more access to resources.
Neutrogena Said It Chose To Wait To Speak Out About Hayden Panettiere
Neutrogena finished its post about Panettiere, saying that it chose to stay silent for the first few days following her death out of “respect” for her and her family.
“Out of respect for Hayden’s family and loved ones, we did not want to speak out so soon following her passing,” the statement read. “Everyone at Neutrogena extends their deepest condolences to Hayden’s family and all who loved her.”
Rep Calls Panettiere An ‘Incredible Light’ While Announcing Her Tragic Death
According to a previous report from The Blast, Panettiere died on August 16 after suffering a reported cardiac arrest. “She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen,” her rep said.
Additional details about her passing are still coming to light, but police reports confirmed that Panettiere’s on-again-off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, was present at the time of her passing and reportedly led medical personnel to a bag of medication she was taking prior to being pronounced dead.
Panettiere’s Boyfriend Released A Statement Through His Lawyer Days After Her Death
Hickerson, whom Panettiere alleged abused her in 2019 and 2020, released a statement about her death through his lawyer, asking people to respect the legal process.
“As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play,” the statement read. It finished, informing the public that neither Hickerson nor members of his team would have any further comment.
