Neutrogena has broken its silence after the skincare brand came under fierce fire for dropping Hayden Panettiere following her admission that she battled postpartum depression.
Back in May, in one of her final interviews before her death, Panettiere alleged that the company, who she had worked with for nearly a decade, had invoked a morality clause in her contract in 2015, shortly after she discussed her experience with postpartum depression publicly for the first time.
The actress’s bombshell claims about the brand resurfaced this week following her shock passing at age 36, and they sparked immense backlash for Neutrogena.
Now, the company has addressed the situation, writing in a statement on Instagram that it was ‘deeply saddened’ by her passing.
The brand said it ‘understood it made her feel unsupported during a very difficult time’ and that it was ‘not what Neutrogena stands for.’
‘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.
The brand went on to praise Panettiere’s ‘courage in sharing her challenges’ which ‘helped inspire important conversations and awareness.’
Neutrogena has broken its silence after the skincare brand came under fierce fire for dropping Hayden Panettiere (seen in 2022) following her admission that she battled postpartum depression
Panettiere first became associated with Neutrogena in 2006, with the partnership lasting almost a decade
‘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,’ Neutrogena continued.
‘We will share more details with this community when plans are in place.’
The brand explained that they waited to speak out ‘out of respect for Hayden’s family and loved ones.’
‘Everyone at Neutrogena extends their deepest condolences to Hayden’s family and all who loved her,’ the message concluded.
During an appearance on the On Purpose podcast with Jay Shetty in May, Panettiere opened up about how she lost her decade-long deal with Neutrogena.
Panettiere asserted that after she discussed her mental health battle publicly for the first time during an appearance on Live With Kelly and Michael in 2015, she had a call with the company during which she learned the brand wanted to terminate her contract under a ‘morality clause.’
Panettiere acknowledged that, growing up, she’d had paparazzi catching ‘every glory moment’ of her adolescence, including ‘every cigarette that I smoked or bad outfit.’ According to the actress, of all the things Neutrogena would ‘fire [her] over, this was the last thing’ she expected.
‘It just came up, and I was just being honest,’ she said of her decision to discuss her mental health battle on Live With Kelly and Michael.
The brand said it ‘understood it made her feel unsupported during a very difficult time’ and that it was ‘not what Neutrogena stands for’
Panettiere (seen with her on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson in 2018), who would have turned 37 on August 21, was found ‘unresponsive’ by officers and paramedics in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday, and was later pronounced dead at the scene following a suspected overdose
‘Never for a second did I think or care that anyone would have a bad reaction to it. It was my truth.
‘So when I got that call that Neutrogena wanted to fire me over that … I’d worked with these people for 10 years, and I remember not hearing a word from anybody, not a “great working with you for 10 years,” “hope you’re good, we wish you well.” And I remember that really breaking my heart.’
Panettiere first became associated with Neutrogena in 2006, with the partnership lasting almost a decade.
For many years, millennials bought the products because they loved her cheerful commercials, in which she splashed water on her face and praised the products.
Panettiere and her former fiancé, boxer Wladimir Klitschko, had welcomed their daughter Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, in December 2014 following a difficult birth.
During an appearance on the On Purpose podcast with Jay Shetty in May, Panettiere opened up about how she lost her decade-long deal with Neutrogena
During her appearance on Live With Kelly and Michael less than a year later, she was discussing her Nashville character Juliette Barnes, who struggled with postpartum depression in the show, and confessed that she could ‘very much relate’ to the storyline. It was the first time she publicly talked about her mental health.
She said: ‘There’s a lot of misunderstanding, and I feel like there’s a lot of people out there who think that it’s not real.
‘It’s completely uncontrollable, and it’s really painful, and it’s really scary, and women need a lot of support. It’s something a lot of women experience.’
She added that she decided to speak about her personal life because she wanted other women to know they were not alone.
Panettiere, who would have turned 37 on August 21, was found ‘unresponsive’ by officers and paramedics in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday, and was later pronounced dead at the scene following a suspected overdose.
