Hayden Panettiere claimed Neutrogena ‘wanted to fire her’ after she spoke about depression

Hayden Panettiere’s past comments about her relationship with skincare brand Neutrogena have resurfaced online following her death.

Via Matt Baron/Shutterstock

The renewed attention comes from claims the actor made earlier this year about her long-running relationship with the brand, in which she alleged that speaking publicly about postpartum depression had ultimately put her position as a Neutrogena ambassador at risk.

Panettiere, 36, died on Sunday in Greenville, South Carolina. Police said there were no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances, while the Greenville County Coroner’s Office said an autopsy found no signs of trauma.

The actor had worked with Neutrogena for around a decade and appeared in a number of campaigns for the skincare company.

Panettiere first spoke publicly about experiencing postpartum depression after welcoming her daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, in December 2014.

During a 2015 appearance on Live! With Kelly and Michael, she opened up about what she had experienced, describing postpartum depression as “completely uncontrollable and really painful.”

“It’s really scary, and women need a lot of support,” she said at the time.

Years later, Panettiere returned to the subject during a podcast interview with Jay Shetty in May 2026, when she discussed what she claimed happened between her and Neutrogena after that television appearance.

She said the brand had morality clauses in its contracts with ambassadors and recalled being subjected to intense scrutiny from paparazzi during her teenage years.

Panettiere said she was particularly surprised that talking about postpartum depression allegedly became a problem, given the other aspects of her personal life that had been covered publicly.

“They caught absolutely everything, and out of all the things they would fire me over, this is the last thing I thought they would ever fire me over,” she said.

According to Panettiere, her discussion of postpartum depression on television had not been planned. She said she had simply answered honestly when the subject was raised during the interview.

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She subsequently claimed she was told that Neutrogena wanted to fire her because of what she had said.

Panettiere recalled that her representative objected to the move, telling the company: “That’s illegal, you can’t do that.”

“So when I got that call that Neutrogena wanted to fire me over that, 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,” she said.

Panettiere said she nevertheless believed the incident had marked the beginning of the end of her relationship with the brand, and expected that she would not be asked to return the following year.

She also recalled being hurt that people she had worked with for years did not contact her after her relationship with Neutrogena ended, saying it “really broke her heart”.

Despite how she said the situation affected her, Panettiere maintained that she would not take back her decision to speak about postpartum depression publicly.

“I wouldn’t change it for the world, I wouldn’t take it back,” she said.

The actor also discussed the alleged end of the relationship with Neutrogena in her memoir, This is Me: A Reckoning, writing that the company cancelled her long-standing contract.

Neutrogena has not publicly responded to Panettiere’s claims.

The Tab has approached Neutrogena for comment.

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Featured image via Matt Baron/Shutterstock