Hayden Panettiere became one of the many faces of Neutrogena in 2006.
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But the Nashville actress alleged that all changed in 2015 when she shared on Live! With Kelly and Michael that she could relate to her character Juliette Barnes' postpartum depression.
Panettiere alleged in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, that the skincare brand attempted to "fire" her. Her representative at the time alleged that would be illegal.
"Even though she saved the day that year, I knew that was going to be it," she explained on Jay Shetty's podcast, On Purpose. "I was not going to be invited back the next year. And I had 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'... Not a 'we wish you well.' And I remember that really breaking my heart."
Despite its long relationship with Panettiere, Neutrogena had not released a statement regarding her death. But after the actress' allegations against the brand resurfaced this week, fans of Panettiere acknowledged its silence and began calling for a boycott.
Then, yesterday, Neutrogena released a statement on Panettiere's death. We have the details below.
What Did Neutrogena Say About the Death of Hayden Panettiere?
Neutrogena released the statement on Aug. 20. Comments on the post are turned off.
"We are deeply saddened by Hayden Panettiere's passing," it 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," the post 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."
As Panettiere explained to Shetty, her contract with Neutrogena included a "strict morality clause."
"My relationship with Neutrogena helped dictate every outfit I wore, every hair and makeup choice, and how I acted when I was out on the town," she said. "I never let the paparazzi see me holding a drink—underage Neutrogena girls didn't do that—and while I didn't force myself to dress modestly, I never showed too much skin."
Panettiere said that when she appeared on Live! With Kelly and Michael, she "had no intention" to talk about her own experiences with postpartum depression.
The actress explained, "It just came up, and I was just being honest. And never for a second did I think that anyone... cared, that anyone would have a bad reaction to it. It was my truth."
You can read full statement from Neutrogena below.
