Holly Robinson Peete slams Hayden Panettiere's mother over comments after actress' death

Holly Robinson Peete has criticised Hayden Panettiere's mother, Lesley Vogel, over comments she made following the actress' death, arguing that Vogel failed to take responsibility for her daughter's struggles.

Panettiere died on August 16 at the age of 36. In an interview with NBC News following her daughter's death, Vogel spoke about Panettiere's early career and the difficulties she experienced after becoming a child star. She said Panettiere had gone down the "wrong path" and described the entertainment industry as a challenging environment for young people.

Vogel also criticised Panettiere's on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, who was reportedly with the actress when she died. She suggested that Hickerson had been a negative influence on her daughter and said the family had been trying to separate the two for years.

Peete, however, took issue with the way Vogel spoke about Panettiere and her struggles. In a post on X, the 21 Jump Street actress acknowledged that Panettiere "clearly had so many issues" but said Vogel should also acknowledge her own role in her daughter's life and career.

"If you're not gonna take accountability for the fact that you put her in the business that eventually messed her up then nothing you say has any integrity," Peete wrote.

Peete also criticised Vogel for what she viewed as an absence of an emotional tribute to her daughter.

"She didn't even say 'I will miss my daughter' or 'I loved my daughter the best way I could,'" Peete wrote. "Has she even mentioned the word daughter?"

She added that Vogel could have used the opportunity to express love and compassion for Panettiere, writing that there were "so many things she could have said to show us that she was a caring mother."

Peete also pointed to the fact that Vogel had lost both of her children. Panettiere's younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, died in 2023 at the age of 28. "And now both of her children are gone. It is all so tragic. RIP Hayden," Peete wrote.

The comments come amid growing public discussion about Panettiere's complicated relationship with her mother. Panettiere previously said she ended her professional relationship with Vogel when she was 19 because she wanted her mother to simply be her mother. She also discussed their difficult relationship in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.

Panettiere had been open about her struggles with addiction, mental health and abusive relationships throughout her life. In the months before her death, she spoke candidly about those experiences while promoting her memoir and said she hoped her honesty would help other people who were experiencing similar difficulties.

Peete's criticism is not the first public reaction to Vogel's comments. Journalist Gayle King also questioned the tone of the actress' mother's remarks, while Ruby Rose later shared alleged text messages that she said were sent by Panettiere and appeared to describe emotional distress involving her mother. Entertainment Weekly has not independently verified those messages.

Panettiere's official cause and manner of death have not yet been determined. The Greenville County Coroner's Office said an autopsy found no signs of trauma that contributed to her death, while additional testing, including toxicology, remains pending.

As reactions continue, the public dispute over Vogel's comments has added another layer to the complicated story of Panettiere's final years, particularly her struggles with addiction, her relationships and her difficult family dynamics.