TV host slams Hayden Panettiere’s estranged mother after controversial tribute
Updated . First published
Gayle King has called out Hayden Panettiere’s estranged mother for her controversial tribute following her daughter’s death.
In her first public comments since Panettiere’s death at age 36, Lesley Vogel, 70, recalled her daughter’s struggles while slamming her on-again, off-again partner, Brian Hickerson.
Hayden Panettiere’s estranged mother Lesley Vogel has broken her silence with an emotional tribute to her late daughter. Pictured in 2019. Getty
“All I can think of is, ‘Thanks mum, for nothing,’” King, 71, said on CBS Mornings.
The television host recalled speaking to Panettiere about her mother just a couple of months ago, during an interview promoting her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.
“You know, when she was here, Vlad, she told us it was a very complicated relationship with her mum and it was still a work in progress,” King said.
“It makes me so sad of the opportunity that you have after your daughter’s death, that that’s what you choose to leave us with.”
Her co-host Vladimir Duthiers agreed, and added Vogel had used the days after Panettiere’s death to “remind the world how much trauma she caused”.
In her statement, Vogel reflected on her daughter’s challenges.
“I think Hayden was an amazingly talented person in so many departments,” she told NBC News.
“And I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry – it is a struggle, and it’s a very challenging industry, and it’s not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path.”
She believed her daughter had “sadly lost her way.”
King was horrified by Vogel’s comments. CBS Mornings
“I wish it were different. I wish she had stayed true to herself because she had many incredible attributes,” she said.
Vogel, a former soap opera star, also slammed Hickerson, who was present when Panettiere died on Sunday afternoon (Monday AEST).
“This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death,” Vogel said, “and that was Brian Hickerson.”
Hayden Panettiere and Jansen Panettiere with their actress mum Lesley Vogel in 2019. Getty
A heavily redacted report from the Greenville Police Department, obtained by Page Six, confirmed Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were there when Panettiere died at a South Carolina apartment complex.
Brian also handed over a “bag of medication” the actress had in her possession at the time of her death, but the names of them were redacted in the report.
He is yet to publicly comment on Panettiere’s death.
The pair were first linked in 2018 and had a tumultuous history that included several alleged incidents of domestic violence.
Hayden Panettiere’s on-and-off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson was with her whe she died. Getty
Before her death, Panettiere had been open about her complicated relationship with her mother, who was also her former manager.
At age 19, she ended their business relationship, which led to the breakdown of their mother-daughter relationship as well.
“Everything was business,” Panettiere recalled in a May interview of On Purpose with Jay Shetty.
Panettiere began her Hollywood career as a child star at the age of four. AP
“I became the confidant and the assistant and the therapist and the shoulder to cry on and everything but her child.”
Following the release of Panettiere’s memoir three months ago, Vogel confirmed their estrangement and claimed: “The present drama is partially to sell books.”
“Sadly, this is out of our control,” she told Page Six. “You cannot save someone who does not want to be saved.”
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