Neutrogena apologises for dropping Hayden Panettiere in 2015
More than a decade after ending Hayden Panettiere’s contract whilst she battled postpartum depression, Neutrogena has issued an apology to the late actress just four days after her death.
Panettiere died aged 36. Her death was announced on Sunday, August 16 (Monday, August 17 AEST). Now, Neutrogena has issued a posthumous apology for dropping the actress in 2015.
Panettiere died on August 16, 2026. An official cause of death has not been released. AP
“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 now what Neutrogena stands for or who we want to be. ” the statement read.
“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.”
The brand said that they would share more details of their investment soon and explained that they had waited to issue an apology out of respect for Panettiere’s friends and family.
“Everyone at Neutrogena extends their deepest condolences to Hayden’s family and all who loved her,” the statement concluded.
Panettiere was first signed with Neutrogena as a spokesperson and face of the brand in 2005, aged 16.
She appeared in numerous worldwide advertising campaigns, but her contract was axed in September 2015 when she discussed her battle with postpartum depression on Live! with Kelly and Michael.
She stated that her diagnosis was “completely uncontrollable” and that the experience for her had been “really scary”.
In an appearance on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast just months before her death, Panettiere said that her postpartum depression was “the last thing that I thought they would ever fire me over”.
Panettiere recently opened up about the situation on an episode of Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast. YouTube @JayShettyPodcast
“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,’” she recalled.
Panettiere explained that the company instead simply decided not to renew her contract when it ended.
Following Panettiere’s death, her fans took to social media to promote a boycott of the brand.
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