Hayden Panettiere Addresses Concern Over Comments About Brother's Death

Hayden Panettiere’s recent interview about brother Jansen’s death sparked fan concern about her well-being, leading the actress to clarify that she’s all right.

“I would like to take a moment to address the controversy surrounding an interview I recently completed with People magazine. It’s unfathomable that I’m even in this position, but I feel forced to address it in a space where I won’t be criticized for how fast or slow I speak,” Panettiere, 35, wrote via Instagram in a lengthy message posted on Sunday, September 22. “I hadn’t slept for two days prior to the shoot due to one of my dogs, who was recovering from an emergency surgical procedure.”

Panettiere noted that she felt extremely fatigued at the time. “The interview started well, and for the record, its beginning is not included in the version posted,” she detailed in the post. “I was exhausted. My rep stopped the interview early as it became obvious that I was fading —especially as the subject matter became heavier.”

Panettiere’s interview with People was published on Wednesday, September 18, where she detailed her grief after her brother died in February 2023. (Jansen, who costarred with his sister in Tiger Cruise and Racing Stripes, died at age 28 of aortic valve complications from an enlarged heart.)

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“Grief looks different on everyone. Whether or not I am on medication is none of anyone’s business and is between me and my doctor,” Panettiere wrote on Sunday, citing that the recent comments about her interview appearance were toxic. “Mental health is so important, and I hope those reading this now understand that what you say hiding behind a computer screen can have a detrimental impact on someone.”

She continued, “For those of you who have come to my defense amidst this chaos I am so grateful. Like I’ve said before, I am a work in progress. We all are.”

The Golden Globe nominee has previously been candid about her mental health over the years. Panettiere previously suffered postpartum depression after welcoming daughter Kaya in 2014 with ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko.

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“It takes you a while. You feel off. You don’t feel like yourself,” she recalled on Good Morning America in January 2017. “But, you know, women are so resilient, and that’s the incredible thing about them. I think I’m all the stronger for it. I think I’m a better mom because of it. Because you never take that connection for granted.”

At the time, Panettiere revealed that she was “feeling fabulous” after seeking treatment for her PPD.

“I’m so glad to be back playing Juliette [on Nashville]. Everything that she’s been through … she made me stronger,” she said, referring to her character’s own PPD battle. “It helped me identify and let women know that it’s OK to ask for help and that it’s OK to have a moment of weakness, and it doesn’t make you a bad person — it doesn’t make you a bad mother. It makes you a very strong, resilient woman. You got to let it make you stronger.”

Klitschko, 48, now has primary custody of Kaya.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.