Neutrogena addresses backlash over its past brand deal with Hayden Panettiere

Neutrogena responded Thursday to mounting backlash over its alleged treatment of its former ambassador Hayden Panettiere, saying on an Instagram post that the company understands it “made her feel unsupported during a very difficult time.” Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive Sunday at an apartment complex in South Carolina and was pronounced dead at the scene. The coroner’s office said Panettiere’s cause of death is pending further investigation. An autopsy was completed on Monday. After her sudden passing, fans began to resurface a podcast interview with the star from earlier this year in which she claimed that Neutrogena, which she described as “a huge part” of her life, severed ties with her over a “morals clause” when she spoke about her experiences with postpartum depression (PPD). Neutrogena’s social media posts were flooded with negative comments toward the brand, with some calling for a boycott. Across TikTok, many people also shared videos describing the beauty brand’s reported treatment of Panettiere as disappointing. Panettiere and her ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko welcomed a daughter, Kaya Evdokia Klitschko, in 2014. Four years later, Panettiere gave full custody of Kaya to Klitschko amid what she described to parenting outlet Momé as a “really challenging time in my life.” Panettiere worked with Neutrogena from 2005 to 2015. In its post on Instagram on Thursday, the brand described Panettiere as “a valued member of our Neutrogena community” for more than a decade. “We are proud to have partnered with her and understand that we made her feel unsupported during a very difficult time,” the brand wrote. “This is not what Neutrogena stands for or who we want to be.” The beauty company did not elaborate on the terms of Panettiere’s contract. A spokesperson for the brand did not respond to NBC News’ request for further comment. During her appearance on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose Podcast in May, Panettiere told the host that she “had no intention or plan to talk about postpartum depression” but that “it just came up and I was just being honest and never for a second did I think that anyone cared or that anyone would have a bad reaction to it.” She said she thought “this is the last thing that I thought they would ever fire me over.” She continued, “And so when I got that call that Neutrogena wanted to fire me over that, and my representative at the time said, ‘That’s illegal you can’t do that,’ I knew that that was gonna be it, that I was not gonna be invited back the next year and I had worked with those people for 10 years.” In her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” which was published in May, Panettiere also elaborated on her struggles with PPD. “Ever since Kaya’s birth, all my natural optimism and pep had vanished,” she wrote. “The three months I planned to take off seemed like an eternity, with long days of nothingness stretching before me. When Kaya cried, I struggled to soothe her, feeling desperate, inadequate, and out of control.” She said she began self-medicating with wine. And in an art-reflecting-life moment, her private struggles drove the drama in Season 4 of “Nashville.” PPD affects 1 in 7 women, according to the Cleveland Clinic. More severe than just the “baby blues,” postpartum depression can be characterized by extreme sadness, anger, trouble bonding with the baby, insomnia or violent ideations. Neutrogena said in the Instagram post that it held off on issuing a statement after Panettiere’s death until now “out of respect for Hayden’s family and loved ones.” “Everyone at Neutrogena extends their deepest condolences to Hayden’s family and all who loved her.” The company said that Panettiere’s “courage in sharing her challenges helped inspire important conversations and awareness.” It pledged to make “a significant investment to a long-standing community health partner to help give more women access to the support they need, including care for postpartum depression.”