Neutrogena is speaking out after they faced backlash and boycott threats, following the tragic death of Hayden Panettiere. While promoting her memoir in the spring, the late actor shared that the American skincare brand almost dropped her as a spokesperson in 2015, after she spoke out about her postpartum depression on the “Live with Kelly and Michael” show at the time. Speaking on Jay Shetty’s podcast in May to promote her book “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” Panettiere said the brand was ready to fire her for talking about her experience with postpartum depression. The deal was saved, after her representation flagged the fact that such a move would be illegal. “Even though (my representative) saved the day that year, I knew that that was going to be it,” she told Shetty about her time as the brand’s spokesperson, which lasted for nearly a decade. Following that admission, fans started flooding Neutrogena’s social media with angry comments. The backlash intensified after Panettiere’s sudden death on Aug. 16, which is now being investigated by the U.S. Department of Drug Enforcement Administration. Many wondered how a company that marketed to women would drop one during one of her most vulnerable times. “Making a brand centered around women and then firing a woman for speaking up on behalf of women who don’t have a platform is crazy work,” one user wrote. “I’ll never purchase any of your products ever again,” wrote another. “RIP Hayden.” Brand admits it was ‘unsupportive’ of Panettiere On Thursday, the brand posted a statement on social media. “For more than a decade, Hayden was a valued member of our Neutrogena community,” the post read. “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.” It went on to say that the actor’s courage helped inspire conversation and awareness, and that the brand would make a “significant investment” to a health partner that supports women’s access to support for postpartum depression. The brand ended its statement, which has the comments section switched off, by stressing they did not want to speak out “so soon following her passing” and extended their condolences to her family and loved ones. In other social media posts on the brand’s social media pages, many fans continued to take to the comment section to express their anger. “Turning off comments on your ‘statement’ is a choice,” one wrote. “She didn’t ‘feel unsupported’. Hayden WAS unsupported. By you.”
