Actress Hayden Panettiere says Neutrogena canceled her contract after postpartum depression

Actress Hayden Panettiere has revealed that after publicly sharing that she was struggling with postpartum depression, Neutrogena attempted to cancel its contract with her.

Key Takeaways:

• Actress Hayden Panettiere recently shared that Neutrogena tried to end its contract with her after she spoke openly about battling postpartum depression.

• After her representative told Neutrogena that doing so would be illegal, Neutrogena ultimately chose not to renew the contract.

• Panettiere gave birth in 2014 and spoke about her postpartum depression during a 2015 interview on "Live with Kelly and Michael."

The Details:

Hayden Panettiere, known for her roles in the shows "Heroes" and "Nashville," welcomed her daughter Kaya in December 2014. In September 2015, during an interview on "Live with Kelly and Michael," Panettiere revealed that she had experienced postpartum depression after giving birth.

Soon after that interview, her representative allegedly received a call from Neutrogena, saying it wanted to end its contract with Panettiere. Her representative reportedly explained that it would be illegal to fire her over her statements, and the contract was allowed to run its course over the year.

But Panettiere was not invited back.

"Neutrogena was a huge part of my life. It had the morals clauses," she told "On Purpose" podcast host Jay Shetty in his May 11 episode.

Panettiere said:

"They caught absolutely everything, and of all the things that they would have fired me over, this was the last thing that I thought they would ever fire me over. And when I actually went out on to stage, it was 'Live with Kelly and Michael,' I had no intention of or plan to talk about postpartum depression. It just came up and I was just being honest. And never for a second did I think that anyone, or cared that anyone, would have a bad reaction to it...."

She added:

"When I got that call that Neutrogena wanted to fire me over that, and my rep 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 gonna be it. I knew I wasn't gonna be invited back the next year, and I had worked with these people for ten years, and I remember not hearing a word from anybody — not a 'great working with you for ten years... we wish you well.' And I remember that really breaking my heart."

Now 36, Panettiere said she "wouldn't change it for the world. I wouldn't take it back" because it opened her eyes to the stigma surrounding postpartum depression.

In 2018, Panettiere relinquished custody of her daughter to her ex-fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko in order to focus on her recovery from postpartum depression and the severe addiction she struggled with as a result.

"The idea that anybody would think that I would just give away my child and be okay with it is heartbreaking," she told Shetty. "It couldn't be further from the truth. It became this horrible cycle for years of battling depression and anxiety and alcoholism and substance abuse, and just me trying to find my way back."

The Bottom Line:

Neutrogena has not yet responded to Panettiere's allegations. Panettiere shared more of the story in her new memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning."