Did Neutrogena sack Hayden Panettiere over ‘postpartum depression’ remark? Boycott calls grow after death

Skincare brand Neutrogena is facing boycott calls on social media following the death of Hollywood actor Hayden Panettiere. An old post has resurfaced in which the Heroes star publicly claimed that her long-standing partnership with the brand was severed after she allegedly spoke openly about postpartum depression.

Panettiere, 36, died on August 16 in South Carolina. Police have ruled out any signs of "foul play or suspicious circumstances", according to the BBC. The Greenville County Coroner's Office said crews treated the woman for "cardiac arrest", while her autopsy found "no signs of trauma."

In her 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, Panettiere claimed that Neutrogena ended its association with her after she publicly opened up about seeking treatment for postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter, Kaya, in 2014.

According to The Independent, Panettiere had alleged that Neutrogena ended her long-standing contract after she disclosed her PPD diagnosis on Live! with Kelly and Michael in 2015. Recalling the incident in her memoir, she wrote, “Neutrogena canceled my long-standing contract, and it was yet another blow in a year that had given almost nothing else.”

Neutrogena row

Hayden Panettiere is survived by her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, whom she had with Ukrainian former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko. Kaya was born in Hawaii in December 2014.

Panettiere had openly discussed her battle with postpartum depression following Kaya’s birth. She also revealed that she eventually gave full custody of her daughter to Klitschko while struggling with addiction and postpartum depression, describing the decision as a "living nightmare" and "heartbreaking.”

In a May podcast interview with Jay Shetty, Panettiere spoke about her experience with Neutrogena and claimed that the company “fired” her in 2016 after she discussed postpartum depression during an appearance on Live! With Kelly and Michael in 2015.

During the 2015 interview, Panettiere described postpartum depression as “completely uncontrollable and really painful” and said, "It's really scary, and women need a lot of support."

Speaking to Shetty, Panettiere said, "Neutrogena and I were together for 10 years. They had morality clauses that had a huge impact on my life, because I was a teenager and I had all the paparazzi around me capturing these gory moments. Every moment - every cigarette I smoked, every bad outfit, or [comments like], 'She’s looking chunky in a bathing suit', or, 'She has a fat vagina'.”

She claimed that despite the scrutiny she had faced over the years, she never expected her comments about postpartum depression to lead to the end of her association with the brand.

"They caught absolutely everything and out of all the things they would fire me over, this is the last thing I thought they would ever fire me over," she said.

Panettiere had appeared in multiple Neutrogena campaigns and served as a brand ambassador before the partnership came to an end in 2016, according to her account.

Neutrogena faces boycott calls

Neutrogena has faced calls for a boycott on social media following Panettiere’s death, with some users revisiting her claims about the brand.

One post on X, which has received more than 34,000 likes, accused the company of terminating Panettiere’s brand ambassador role after she spoke candidly about postpartum depression.

“Reminder that Neutrogena fired Hayden Panettiere as a brand ambassador because she candidly spoke about her experience with postpartum depression on a talk show! Neutrogena hates women!” the post read.

The backlash has also spread to Neutrogena’s official social media accounts, where users have posted comments criticising the brand over its alleged treatment of Panettiere.

Carole Radziwill, a former Real Housewives of New York City cast member, also joined the criticism by commenting on Neutrogena’s latest post: “You deserve the hate. #hayden.”