Neutrogena issues statement following backlash over Hayden Panettiere controversy

Neutrogena has issued a statement after facing backlash over a resurfaced clip of Hayden Panettiere claiming the company fired her after she spoke out about her struggles with postpartum depression.

Panettiere, who tragically passed away on Sunday, worked with the skincare brand for over a decade but during an appearance on the Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast she said the company wanted to cut ties with her after she spoke publicly about her mental health.

“Neutrogena and I were together for 10 years. They had morality clauses that had a huge impact on my life because I was a teenager constantly followed by paparazzi, who captured some of my lowest moments,” she said.

Panettiere went on to say that she hadn’t intended to speak about her postpartum depression but that it came up ‘naturally’ during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Michael.

She explained: “I was simply being honest, and it never occurred to me that anyone would react negatively. It was my truth.

“So when I got the call that Neutrogena wanted to fire me because of it, my representative at the time said, ‘That’s illegal. They can’t do that’. Even though she saved the day that year, I knew it was over. I knew I wouldn’t be invited back the following year.

“Of all the things I thought could get me fired, this was the last thing I ever expected.”

She went on to say that after she parted ways with the company no one reached out to her.

“I remember not hearing a word from anybody, not a ‘great working with you for 10 years’... I remember that really breaking my heart,” she shared.

Panettiere also mentioned it in her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, which was released earlier this year, writing: “Neutrogena canceled my long-standing contract, and it was yet another blow in a year that had given almost nothing else.”

After Panettiere’s sudden passing at just 36, the clip and comments from her memoir have resurfaced and led to calls for a boycott of Neutrogena.

According to the Independent, the company’s stock also took a hit.

Following the backlash Neutrogena has released a statement saying it is ‘deeply saddened’ by Panettiere’s passing.

The statement read: “For more than a decade, Hayden was a valued member of our Neutrogena community. 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.

“Hayden’s courage in sharing her challenges helped inspire important conversations and awareness.

“We are making a significant investment to a long-standing community health partner to help give more women access to the support they need, including care for postpartum depression. We will share more details with this community when plans are in place.

“Out of respect for Hayden’s family and loved ones, we did not want to speak out soon following her passing.

“Everyone at Neutrogena extends their deepest condolences to Hayden’s family and all who loved her.”

Hayden was candid about her postpartum depression

Panettiere had spoken candidly about her mental health, addiction struggles and life with postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter Kaya in 2014.

She eventually made the tough decision to give full custody of Kaya to her ex-partner Wladimir Klitschko in 2018.

Speaking on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast just weeks ago, Panettiere said she was initially against the idea when her ex-partner suggested it.

“That was incredibly difficult. The fact that my child wasn’t going to be with me all day every day was just ... you can’t put words to it,” she said.

However, she changed her mind after realising how stressful it was for the youngster to travel back and forth between the US and Ukraine, where she was living her father, and seeing what a ‘beautiful life’ she had out there.

Panettiere stayed in regular contact with her child before her death.