Neutrogena speaks out after Hayden Panettiere's death sparks renewed backlash

KiMi Robinson, USA TODAYTue, August 18, 2026 at 12:48 PM UTC

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Following Hayden Panettiere's shocking death, fans are resurfacing some of the career revelations she shared in her final months, including her allegation that Neutrogena attempted to end their longtime partnership after she spoke publicly about her postpartum depression.

Now, the brand is speaking out.

In her 2026 memoir "This Is Me: A Reckoning" and interviews promoting the book in May, the 36-year-old said the cosmetics brand, owned by Kenvue, wanted to "fire" her after she shed light on her condition on "Live with Kelly and Michael" in 2015, less than a year after she gave birth to her daughter, Kaya.

Panettiere's comments drew backlash in May from social media users – including one beauty content creator who declared "Neutrogena hates women!" – and criticism of the brand saw renewed fervor after the "Heroes" actress died at age 36 on Aug. 16. One Reddit post, which earned more than 2,500 upvotes, proposed a boycott against Neutrogena. Comments under another post mirrored this sentiment, with one user calling Panettiere's commercials a "core memory" for millennials.

The drama, explained: Will a Neutrogena boycott by Hayden Panettiere's fans work?

The brand's social media posts across various platforms are flooded with comments, some of which have racked up tens of thousands of likes, slamming them over their alleged treatment of Panettiere and encouraging Neutrogena-free skincare routines.

USA TODAY has reached out to Neutrogena for comment.

In a September 2015 sit-down with Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan, Panettiere said she "can very much relate to" her "Nashville" character Juliette Barnes' postpartum depression. She added, "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."

She called the mood disorder, which typically affects patients within a year after they give birth, "completely uncontrollable, and it's really painful, and it's really scary, and women need a lot of support."

Neutrogena breaks silence on Hayden Panettiere's death, allegations

Neutrogena released a formal statement on Instagram on Thursday, Aug. 20, concerning Panettiere's death amid the wave of criticism the skincare brand faced related to the actress' allegations.

"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," the statement read. "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," the brand continued. "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 so soon following her passing. Everyone at Neutrogena extends their deepest condolences to Hayden's family and all who loved her," the statement concluded.

What Hayden Panettiere said about Neutrogena

Panettiere opened up on Jay Shetty's "On Purpose" podcast in May, saying that after a decade with the brand, which she said stood by her through years of intense media scrutiny as a teen, it was ultimately her discussing postpartum that violated their "morals clause."

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"Of all the things, too, that they would fire me over, this was the last thing I thought they would fire me over," she told Shetty.

The actress added that she "had no intention" of talking about postpartum depression on "Live with Kelly and Michael."

"It just came up, and I was just being honest," she said. "So when I got that call that Neutrogena wanted to fire me over that, and my representative at the time said, 'That's illegal. You can't do that.' And even though she saved the day, that year, I knew that that was going to be it. I was not going to be invited back the next year."

She continued, "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."

Still, she said, "I wouldn't change it for the world; I wouldn't take it back."

Panettiere went on to explain that the decision left her stunned.

"After that interview [with Kelly and Michael], I had no idea when I walked off that stage that I was going to get the call saying, 'Neutrogena wants to fire you. They're not OK with this.' And you're going, 'Wait a second, of all the things, how can they judge me about something that is so human and so real?'" she said in a Us Weekly cover story published in May.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter the same month, it was clear she had hoped she had sparked change. "After I was public about it and talked about the Neutrogena aspect of it, I don't think anybody in that industry will be doing that to anyone else," Panettiere said.

Neutrogena did not respond to requests for comment from outlets such as TMZ, Us Weekly and Page Six when Panettiere's allegations became public in May.

Hayden Panettiere's postpartum depression experience

Panettiere had a traumatic birth with her daughter, Kaya. She underwent a near-fatal C-section that required seven blood transfusions and two surgeries to save her from hemorrhaging, she said in an interview with the parenting magazine Momé published in July.

Postpartum depression manifested as her feeling "nothing" when looking at her newborn, and she turned to alcohol, and sometimes opiates, to dull the "empty" feeling, eventually forming a dependency.

"I completely lost myself," she said on Shetty's podcast, but then sought treatment for addiction. Panettiere's dual battle with postpartum depression and addiction influenced her decision to agree to relinquish custody of Kaya to her ex-fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko. It was an excruciating decision. “I mean, the idea that anybody would think that I would just give away my child and be OK with it is heartbreaking,” she told Shetty. “Couldn’t be farther from the truth.”

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.

Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Neutrogena speaks out after Hayden Panettiere's death sparks renewed backlash

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