Hayden Panettiere’s estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, has disputed the late actor’s account of the moment she said she wanted to end their professional relationship, denying that she told her daughter, “You owe me.”
In her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, which was published in May, Panettiere said that while filming the TV show Heroes at 19, she told Vogel she no longer wanted her to be her manager.
“I said to her, ‘I don’t want us to work together anymore. I just want you to be my mom,'” Panettiere recalled. According to Panettiere, Vogel responded: “You owe me.”
The actor said she “remembered” feeling hopeful about the conversation, but said it was “disappointing” when she came to believe her mother was referring to money. “The fact that she didn’t care to have a relationship with me was a tough pill to swallow,” she added.
Panettiere died on Aug. 16 at 36. Her cause of death has yet to be confirmed.
In a new interview with ABC News, Vogel said she recalled the conversation taking place in Panettiere’s trailer, but denied saying the words attributed to her.
“I remember being in her trailer and literally saying nothing,” she said. “I knew that day would come — it’s not that I didn’t expect it — but it was very short, [a] very brief conversation, and then she turned and went to set… I know I didn’t say what she said.”
Panettiere’s death has raised questions about how child stars in the entertainment industry are treated, with Anna Paquin among those who have called for greater protection for young actors.
Panettiere was 11 months old when she first appeared onscreen in a Playskool commercial. She went on to star in numerous TV shows and films — including Heroes, Nashville and two Scream movies — but struggled with drug addiction, postpartum depression and an abusive relationship with her on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson.
Here are the key points that have emerged since Panettiere died.
What was her relationship with her mom, Lesley Vogel?
Panettiere was estranged from her mother, who helped launch her career as a child model and later oversaw her work as a child actor.
In her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, Panettiere described Vogel as a “perfectionist” and recalled feeling pressure to succeed from a young age. She alleged that her mother would become angry when she failed to land roles and once superglued a fallen tooth back into her mouth because she feared it could cost Panettiere a job.
Vogel has disputed Panettiere’s characterization of her childhood, telling the Daily Mail that she was demanding but did not force her daughter to work or abuse her. “I was strong, definitely, but I was not abusive by any stretch of the imagination,” she said.
Vogel said their relationship remained close through much of Panettiere’s childhood and adolescence but began to change when her daughter was around 16 or 17. Vogel attributed their later estrangement in part to her attempts to intervene in Panettiere’s relationship with her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson.
“I had to go no contact because I could not help her anymore. I could not change this pattern, and believe me, I tried,” Vogel said. “I didn’t leave because I didn’t care about her or didn’t love her. I put so much effort in trying to save her. You cannot save someone who doesn’t want to be saved.”
What was her relationship with her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson?
Panettiere and Hickerson had a turbulent on-and-off relationship that included documented domestic violence.In 2021, Hickerson pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring Panettiere and was sentenced to 45 days in jail, probation and domestic violence classes. Hickerson later told TMZ, “I had a lot to drink, and I got physical with her.”
Panettiere addressed the allegations publicly in 2020, saying she hoped sharing her experience would “empower others in abusive relationships to get the help they need and deserve.” She also said she was “prepared to do my part to make sure this man never hurts anyone again.”
In her memoir, Panettiere wrote about her decision to “let go of my resentment” and try to forgive Hickerson. She added, “I needed him to admit his wrongs and change because of them, but I didn’t want to traumatize him in an irreversible way.”
Months before her death, Panettiere had reportedly taken steps to keep Hickerson away. The New York Times reported, citing two people with direct knowledge, that private security accompanying her book tour in May had instructions not to let Hickerson into events.
“I needed an incredible amount of support and backup in order to make sure that there was no way for him to find his way back in,” Panettiere told the podcast On Purpose.
Vogel described her daughter’s relationship with Hickerson as codependent, saying, “When Brian came into her life, the changes started to occur. Very early in the game, I thought he’s a modern-day gigolo. I know what he’s after.
“I would talk to both of them about it. I would say, ‘This is a codependent relationship, and it is not healthy for either of you. My sadness is that everything that I did, her father did, friends did, business people did, we could not break that codependent bond. It is so much more powerful than people understand.”
Vogel told ABC News, “She knew that Brian was toxic. She knew she had to get him out of her life.”
Hickerson has not been accused of a crime in connection with Panettiere’s death.
Hickerson addressed Panettiere’s death through his attorney, Sloan Ellis, saying: “Hayden’s death remains under investigation, and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed.
“As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play. Out of respect for Hayden’s loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time.”
What was her relationship with the father of her child, Wladimir Klitschko?
Panettiere dated boxer Wladimir Klitschko on and off between 2009 and 2018. They got engaged in 2013, but never married, and their daughter, Kaya, was born in 2014. Panettiere was open about her struggles with alcohol and depression, including postpartum depression after Kaya’s birth.
Kaya, who is 11, lives with Klitschko in Ukraine. Panettiere told the On Purpose podcast, “I think there’s been this very common misconception that I just gave up my child. That could not be farther from the truth.”
Panettiere said Klitschko suggested their daughter live with him full-time when Kaya was 2. She said she was in a “horrible cycle for years of battling depression and anxiety and alcoholism and substance abuse.”
In a statement shared to Instagram after Panettiere’s death, Klitschko wrote, “The announcement of Hayden’s tragic death saddens me deeply. She left this world far too soon. Hayden was, although no longer my partner, an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter, Kaya.”
Why has there been backlash against Neutrogena?
Panettiere was a longtime spokesperson for Neutrogena, appearing in commercials for the skin care brand for more than a decade. She alleged that the company wanted to end their relationship after she spoke publicly about experiencing postpartum depression in 2015.
“Of all the things… that they would fire me over, this was the last thing I thought they would fire me over,” Panettiere told On Purpose.
Panettiere said her representative intervened and she was not immediately dropped, but that her relationship with the company subsequently ended.
“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.”
Her allegations drew criticism of Neutrogena when they became public in May and resurfaced following her death, with some social media users calling for a boycott of the brand.
“For more than a decade, Hayden was a valued member of our Neutrogena community,” Neutrogena said after her death. “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.”
What else did she say in her recent memoir?
Panettiere released her memoirin May, three months before her death. The book traced her life from child stardom through some of her most difficult years, including her struggles with addiction and the death of her younger brother, Jansen, in 2023.
She wrote about how closely her own life began to mirror that of her Nashville character, Juliette Barnes, whose storylines included postpartum depression and problems with alcohol and pills. At the time, Panettiere was dealing with anxiety and addiction herself, writing that she eventually reached a point where she “needed a drink to function.”
“Every time I read the day’s script, it was like I was looking in a funhouse mirror, seeing a distorted reflection of myself. I can’t tell you how lost this made me feel,” she wrote.
Panettiere described herself as a “work in progress” in the memoir. In its closing pages, she wrote, “I just keep swimming, and with each stroke, I get stronger. With each passing day, I get to laugh a little more, learn another lesson, and make another friend.”
What has been said about the cause of death?
Panettiere was found in cardiac arrest after emergency responders were called to the Greenville, S.C., residence where she was temporarily staying, according to the Greenville County Coroner’s Office. She was pronounced dead after attempts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful.
An autopsy found no signs of trauma that contributed to her death, the coroner’s office said. Her cause and manner of death have not yet been determined and are pending additional testing.
