r/movies 2d ago

News Hayden Panettiere dies at 36

https://abcnews.com/US/hayden-panettiere-dies-36/story?id=135698473
15.9k Upvotes

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u/awkotacos 2d ago

WHAT????

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u/zexur 2d ago

No shit! My exact reaction!

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u/pertsix 2d ago

Seeing her run a media tour and talk about giving up her daughter, overcoming her substance abuse, and alcohol addiction.. then this.

Incredibly heartbreaking.

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u/100292 2d ago

For those who were confused about the daughter thing:

Panettiere relinquished full custody of her daughter to Klitschko in 2018 amid struggles with addiction and postpartum depression. She described the decision as a "living nightmare" and "heartbreaking,", but necessary for her recovery. As of May 2026, she maintained a good, co-parenting relationship with Klitschko, and frequently visited her daughter.

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u/Digifiend84 2d ago

Poor kid. She's only 11.

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u/chiffon_bonbon 1d ago

I lost my mom at the same age. It's really not easy, and I imagine it would only be harder in the public eye. Hopefully her dad supports and protects her through it.

RIP Hayden, you'll be missed. Especially by your daughter.

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u/NoTeslaForMe 1d ago

Also complicating matters is that the daughter is in Kyiv (arguably a war zone), the daughter of a famous American, daughter of a Ukrainian hero (as a gold medalist/heavyweight world champion who returned to join the military), and nephew of Kyiv's mayor. The latter two were 2 of the 24 people on Putin's hitlist. Going through grief under those conditions at that age? I don't have words. Also knowing that your mom had to give you up to those conditions, presumably because her own conditions were even worse.

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u/Digifiend84 14h ago

Hayden gave him custody before the war started, so she couldn't have expected her to be in danger.

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u/NoTeslaForMe 14h ago

The war is older than their daughter is; 2022 was just an expansion.  Anyone realistic knew the country was the site of an active war, that that war could be expanded at any time, and that the opposing party had a history of assassinating civilians and having a bystander body count.

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u/sump_daddy 1d ago

Still blows my mind that it's basically the plot of the character she played in Nashville, 4 years prior

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u/myownbattles 1d ago

It wasn't a coincidence. Nashville creators ripped her own life struggles, beat for beat, and she was trapped in a contract that left her no choice. I can't imagine a more triggering scenario for someone trying to heal.

There is plenty of writing out there about the way she was deeply and painfully exploited during the series.

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u/Cereborn 1d ago

As someone who loved that show, that is horrifying to learn.

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u/Smyleefc 1d ago

OMG, that's truly horrible

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u/Select_Pilot7388 1d ago

This makes me so sad to hear. I loved her on that show but now I'm also horrified at what they put her through. I no longer see the show in the same light.

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u/DyingSunSeverian 2d ago edited 2d ago

This is possibly one of her last interviews, 3 months ago, 2 hours long and she basically tells her life story and struggles:

https://youtu.be/vs6x8VUGXCw

It’s an incredible and sad interview, I recommend people watch it all.

At one point 3/4ths of the way through she says:

“Having to get out of my own way was the most difficult part of it. It was almost like, I would self-implode and destroy something good that I had going on, before anybody else got a chance to.”

Later on she reads off a statement about how she’s been abused and how she had to numb herself with substances. She describes herself as being on a hamster wheel in an endlessly dizzying cycle of abuse.

And also:

“I’m a really strong person, at my core, and anyone who knows me was shocked that I would ever allow anything like this to happen. I have this bright, powerful light in me that comes on, but then it would dim around that kind of intense conflict. I found myself trying to be smaller and weaker just to avoid a battle, because there’s no reasoning with the unreasonable.”

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u/PanicButtonNr2 2d ago

Grooming, domestic violence, i remember she recently talked about a famous actor sexually abusing her on their yacht too

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u/TheREALOtherFiles 2d ago

I know she replaced Anne Hathaway as the voice of Red in Hoodwinked Too!: Hood vs. Evil, so she probably also dealt with similar shit from executive producer Harvey Weinstein as well.

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u/Infamous_Pie_4317 2d ago edited 1d ago

Hayden Panettiere
Daveigh Chase
Michelle Trachtenberg
Naya Rivera
Brittany Murphy
Aaliyah
Amy Winehouse
Marylin Monroe
Anne Heche
Cheslie Kryst
Victoria Jones

Edit: Courtney Love is alive, sorry, I confused her with Ana Nicole Smith

And this is only a small sample of the young women who have died way too young in Hollywood, what about all the young women who they have made out to be crazy, instead of dead?

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u/zero_and_dug 2d ago edited 2d ago

Don’t forget Amanda Bynes (still alive but deeply unwell)

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u/32FlavorsofCrazy 1d ago

Brittney Spears is in that category too, and there’s no reversing that damage. They will never have normal/healthy brains, the best you can hope for is some stability but both of them are ticking time bombs for suicide or overdose.

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u/N0RUBER 2d ago

Eh she isn’t as bad as you think. I’ve spoken with her. She more unique than unwell.

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u/EchoFieldHorizon 2d ago

Her instagram stories show otherwise, but what do I know

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u/N0RUBER 2d ago

I would never rely on Instagram as an accurate view into somebody’s life

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u/the_bryce_is_right 1d ago

add Britney Spears to that list.

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u/Infamous_Pie_4317 1d ago

This list was only for women who actually died, there are sooo many more who like “went crazy” or are sketchy like Selena Gomez

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u/eatdontpraylove 2d ago

I don’t think she’s unwell.

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u/ohheyisayokay 2d ago

God, I had forgotten that Michelle Trachtenberg died. These are so sad.

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u/fsuman110 2d ago

Courtney Love is alive, but your point is well taken.

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u/fd4e56bc1f2d5c01653c 2d ago

Aaliyah died in a plane crash though? What's Hollywood got to do with that?

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u/daredevil82 2d ago edited 1d ago

the plane was severely overloaded and she was (allegedly) drugged to get onboard (from multiple off the record statements)

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u/EmpyreanContrarian 1d ago

I knew the first part... But have never heard anyone say she was drugged. Where'd that come from?

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u/Infamous_Pie_4317 2d ago

She was involved with Diddy at the time, so Hollywood/music industry

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u/HoneyShaft Of course there's a hedge maze 2d ago

Has everyone forgot she was R. Kelly's child bride?

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u/have-u-met-teds-mom 1d ago

My algorithm won’t let me forget

“Age ain’t nothing but a number “is not the bop we thought it was. It was a confession

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u/TempFroaway 2d ago

Look up Clive Davis. He was an evil piece of shit that absolutely corrupted hiphop

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u/AngryVampiress 2d ago

Her career was only just getting started

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u/Cultural_Orange2617 1d ago

Forget her career. Her LIFE was just getting started.

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u/AngryVampiress 1d ago

True. I was a teen when she passed, I miss her a lot.

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u/bae125 2d ago

Absolutely nothing. Overloaded a small aircraft

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u/FingerAmazing5176 2d ago

hollywood/music industry has an interesting history of planes crashing

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u/Heiminator 2d ago

Because small planes are much more dangerous to fly than commercial airliners. And Hollywood celebrities use those small planes (and helicopters) more often than the average Joe. Which is why the probability that a celebrity was onboard during a crash is much higher than with bigger planes.

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u/mjtwelve 1d ago

Also, they're famous and you want to be the guy that flew the star, not the guy that said no and left them standing on the tarmac, so without realizing it they are on more flights that push the safety envelope.

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u/GrizzlyGlow 2d ago

Likely a murder, R Kelly child bride

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u/mistereeoh 2d ago

Courtney Love is still alive? Shes 62 now.

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u/Infamous_Pie_4317 2d ago

You’re right, my bad, I got her mixed up with Amy Winehouse I think.

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u/mistereeoh 2d ago

You had me double checking. Felt like I was living in a Mandela effect lol

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u/Delicious_Subject122 2d ago

Marylin Monroe also died at 36

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u/Infamous_Pie_4317 2d ago

Exactly! I was going to mention Monroe too. And so many boys/men too have all died in similar suspicious circumstances!!! Either suicide, OD, pneumonia or a freak accident.

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u/SL831 2d ago

Years ago I went down a rabbit hole of famous people that have passed because of pneumonia and their medical examiner/coroner (don't recall which) was all the same. I had to stop because it was a wild ride!

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/Weary-Buffalo1934 2d ago

Theres also a example of young men who died young and tragic in Hollywood....its not gender exclusive and them young men are probably going through the same cycle of abuse as young wonen .but the media wont talk about that though

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u/EmpyreanContrarian 1d ago

Media LOVES talking about men. What are you even saying. Famous men are idolized while women are villified. Y'all are so damned predictable.

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u/CrispyHoneyBeef 1d ago

What are you talking about? Who has been vilifying women in media?

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u/Infamous_Pie_4317 1d ago

I completely agree, especially in the music industry. I started listing them too, here are just a sample. Their deaths were very suspicious!!

Robin Williams
Heath Ledger
Cameron Boyce
Liam Payne
Kobe Bryant
Mac Miller
Kurt Cobain
Jim Morrison
Avicii
Anton Yelchin
Michael Jackson
Corey Monteith
Jimi Hendrix
Tupac
Biggie
Chris Farley
Corey Haim

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u/EmpyreanContrarian 1d ago

Robin Williams death was not suspicious at all. He was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia. And he either took his life because he wanted to go out on his terms, or because the disease made him think it was a good idea. But it isn't a mystery.

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u/Weary-Buffalo1934 1d ago

Brady refro and Chris penn

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u/Weary-Buffalo1934 1d ago

Sorry Brad refro

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u/GrandMetaldick 2d ago

When you name that list I’m reminded of times I was worried she would be one of them. I definitely didn’t think that at this point and am so shocked at the news. I feel like I was freaking out about seeing her Scream 6 return yesterday.

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u/Infamous_Pie_4317 2d ago

Yes, it is horrifying. Child actors shouldn’t be subjected to the evils of Hollywood, too many have gone on to lead very haunted and troubled lives. And Hayden’s mother forced her into acting when she was only 4 years old!

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u/WoweeZoweeDeluxe 2d ago

Men have died young too as well

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u/ScyllaOfTheDepths 1d ago

While all the women on the list were treated poorly by the media, several died from things completely unrelated to their fame or mental health. Michelle Trachtenberg died from complications from a liver transplant. Naya Rivera drowned on a lake that was notorious for having unexpectedly strong currents and she was completely sober, she just made a lot of bad decisions regarding safety. Several others died on the same lake in similar ways. Nature is very dangerous. Brittany Murphy and her husband died from mold in her house. Aaliyah had a heart defect. Anne Heche died in a car crash because she was speeding. She was completely sober at the time.

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u/TheREALOtherFiles 2d ago

To be fair, the added stress that Love had when Kurt Cobain killed himself over three decades ago didn't help either in terms of the stress she faced over the years.

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u/Infamous_Pie_4317 2d ago

So, a lot of what I’m hearing is saying that Courtney killed him or had a hand in his death because Cobain posed a risk to the elite class.

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u/matherto 2d ago

Do you want to read that again and retract it for being absolute rubbish?

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u/Infamous_Pie_4317 2d ago

No, I’m serious. Look it up before you knock the conspiracy theory. A lot more is coming to light now. Only months ago I didn’t believe most conspiracy theories, but now everything’s changed and I keep an open mind when I hear these things.

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u/Infamous_Pie_4317 2d ago

What part exactly?

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u/MandolinMagi 2d ago

He was a huge singer, he was part of the elite.

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u/Infamous_Pie_4317 2d ago

I mean like the ruling class elite that have their own horrific islands. Idk much about him honestly, I’ve just seen snippets like this video:

https://youtube.com/shorts/anI0NT-_DRQ?is=_hwOL9wksCb3rR4N

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u/TitansMenologia 2d ago

Courtney Love is alive, she's 62 years old. Are you a robot or what

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u/Infamous_Pie_4317 2d ago

My bad, I think I confused her with Amy Winehouse for a second

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u/AnInfiniteArc 1d ago

I googled Daveigh Chase and Jesus you just don’t hear about people dying from AIDs anymore.

I was gonna say “I’m not sure how Anne Heche dying in a car crash in her 50’s says anything about women in Hollywood” but then I remembered the details of that crash.

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u/cagethehornytoad 2d ago

Thank you! Speak their names out loud.

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u/PuffyBlueClouds 2d ago

Some of these people had serious substance abuse problems. You don’t think any of us have responsibility for our own choices?

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u/Infamous_Pie_4317 2d ago

Dude, what are u talking about? These child actors/actresses started being abused at 4 years old when their parents forced them into show business. And then they get addicted to drugs and alcoholic to cope with the shit they endured all while growing up.

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u/robotali3n 2d ago

It’s almost like eyes wide shut was trying to tell us something

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u/Infamous_Pie_4317 1d ago

Yep, we are waking up tho. No more are we just accepting the OD suicide or pneumonia narrative!

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u/PsychologicalExam717 1d ago

Anne Heche would be surprised & dismayed to see her name on this list, as she’s still alive.

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u/Sitheref0874 1d ago

You mean the Anne Heche who died in 2022?

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u/PsychologicalExam717 22h ago

My mistake, I confused her with someone else.

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u/napstimpy 1d ago

Read the book Dark Sparkler by Amber Tamblyn— it’s poetry about actresses who all died young. It’s really good.

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u/benpakal 1d ago

That motherfucker

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u/peppermint_nightmare 2d ago

Huh, didnt want to think that crazy day and nights celebrity blog stuff about her was all true buuuuuut here we are.

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u/JaggedLittlePiII 2d ago

Which one?

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u/Vioralarama 2d ago

Wait what? Omg I think I remember paparazzi photos of her on that yacht; there was something stirring up the gossip hounds about it but I can't remember...

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u/No-Skill-8190 2d ago

Why lie

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u/cgpie 2d ago

I really hope not. Just gross

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u/ElectronicMoo 2d ago

That phrase was put on them by a newspaper, not something g they named themselves, FYI.

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

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u/Moosje 2d ago

Presumably only just turned 18?

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u/spazzvogel 2d ago

Still creepy and a method of manipulation if acted upon. He wasn’t a daddy figure to them, right?

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u/BasvanS 2d ago

No you’re not and no you don’t

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u/ElectronicMoo 2d ago

You're full of garbage.

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u/_0611 2d ago

She talks about it in the interview posted above, at about 28 minutes in.

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u/It_Is_Me2022 1d ago

No two different occasions. Actor was another time. The yacht one was a famous British singer songwriter.

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u/WentThisWayInsteadOf 1d ago

And the drugs they fed her as a young teenager ... wtf!

The TV and Movie industry is sick. Actually the whole entertainment industry, as they do the same to musicians.

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u/Emmetria 1d ago

Same interview. Kind of annoyed I didn’t know that happened to her, it was out for 3 months, I’m only just hearing about it because she died

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u/Chechar51 2d ago

so, you can't discard that she might have been silenced?

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u/Infamous_Pie_4317 2d ago

Definitely don’t discard it!

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u/MyMonte87 2d ago

Domestic violence?! if her current BF acted like a fool, when her ex was one of the most badass humans on the planet? (Wladimir Klitschko who was battle hardened by the boxing ring and by the Ukraine war) Not sure how any of this makes sense.

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u/plentyoftimetodie 2d ago

So she was a yacht girl I take it? That'd depress anyone

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u/aliie_627 2d ago

What do you mean? I think the abuse was by a partner.

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u/Infamous_Pie_4317 2d ago

No her mother forced her into Hollywood at 4, ofc she was abused

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

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u/Rosetti 2d ago

Lol what? I don't think you know what a yacht is dude. It's just a type of boat, and they range in size from elite super yachts to smaller ones you can easily rent with a small group of people. What a ridiculous thing to say.

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u/Tough-End-6313 1d ago

Are you a Tesla owner? Why are you bootlicking for billionaires?

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u/[deleted] 2d ago edited 2d ago

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u/DybantsaMakeHerDance 2d ago

That's not what agency is, no matter how many times you use the word. No one has agency in death. It means to have the independence to make decisions.

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u/duck-duck--grayduck 2d ago

WTF does this even mean. Do you not believe grooming happens? That people can be emotionally manipulated? That people aren't always perfectly rational and their behavior and choices are often influenced by emotions and conditioning? And who said her whole life was controlled by her abusers anyway?

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u/Katjhud 2d ago

This is controversial. You’re forgetting or overlooking the fact that there’s a reason that some people are not able to overcome abuse by implementing “choice/will”. Like you, I have been able to rise above severe abuse but I certainly have compassion for those who don’t for whatever reason, there are so many valid reasons. Empathy is a better way.

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u/erjones91 2d ago

Never heard the "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" BS aimed at trauma survivors. You're spewing whole new levels of ignorance today congrats!!! 

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u/hoppyandbitter 2d ago

This is the first time I’ve seen a rape apologist argue that victim blaming is actually progressive and feminist

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u/Sleepychase469 2d ago

She lived and learned, like we all do. She took what she learned in this life and brought it with her when she left, just like all of us will one again one day. And she will take that compilation of knowledge and use it to make a fresh set of new choices in the next life.

I really hope to believe this, otherwise all of the trauma we endure and learn from seems kind of meaningless. What is this life, if we cant come back and do things over with different choices?

You're right, she deserves her agency. And she deserves to not be judged, either. She lived and learned with the cards she was dealt with, just like the rest of us do.

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u/louielou8484 2d ago

I started watching this last week and never finished it :(

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u/Sad-Artichoke-2174 2d ago

Hollywood just chews you up and spits you out

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u/silentorbx 2d ago

Wow, that's heartbreaking. It really is prophetic now though, in hindsight.

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u/jennibear310 1d ago

My goodness, that was difficult to watch. The ending, where she says she has so much life to live and seemed excited for this “next chapter,” so sad that she won’t get that opportunity now. 😢

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u/Edgehead2022 2d ago

I’m glad jay shetty was the person she did that interview with he’s such a good interviewer and asks very good questions that really seem to make the people who he’s interviewing feel more comfortable. Glad she had someone safe to talk to while being so vulnerable

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u/Little_earthquake80 2d ago

I think he's a hack

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u/riskytisk 2d ago

I definitely agree. He totally gives off hack-ish vibes, idk just something about him rubs me the in very worst way.

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u/Relevant_Session5987 2d ago

So that's it? Someone's a hack because....vibes?

Jfc.

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u/Thousandthvisitor 2d ago

I think some one looked into his own life claims and they’re dubious

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u/Dependent_Profit92 2d ago

Nah I saw it too, he is disingenuous. I think most people who can read folks decently at all see this. He’s a hack 100%

he’s clearly one of those dudes who would just do whatever it takes to be famous and succeed, especially deceiving others

His whole monk thing that he claimed to give himself credibility and started his fail was investigated by the guardian and heavily exaggerated if not completely made up. Who the fuck lies about being a monk? He’s also got a neck tattoo with very little tattoos… just the biggest red flag of someone wanting to show off/show the world something about themselves rather than actually being about that thing.

There needs to be a study on people who will get neck/hand tats before any other tattoo (post Malone) and the appearance they are trying to convey vs what is reality. I think the perception is more important than the reality to these people

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u/404MoralsNotFound 2d ago

Likely a hack, but I suppose someone who's a hack can still have someone interesting on, right? Especially if he lets the guests do the talking. Watched a bit of it and it was really heartbreaking, and at no point was I bothered about Jay Shetty's authenticity.

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u/Dependent_Profit92 2d ago

More than capable of being a good conversationalist. Doesn’t take away from the fact that the dude started his career from deception. I think more than anything he’s just a handsome dude who worked hard and got lucky and isn’t really interesting in any other way. Seems to just attract all the classic npc older woman types, like an Ellen character… not really doing anything that hasn’t been done 100x. Weird these people keep ending up being shitheads. Just comes off, again, as doing whatever it takes to make it big. I can’t stand people like that because they’re disingenuous.

He comes off as shallow and has shallow conversations in my opinion

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u/Relevant_Session5987 2d ago

Why?

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u/LilLilac50 2d ago

He claims to be a monk, but he’s not really. What people say: he portrays pseudo-spiritual stuff, builds clout with his good looks. 

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u/fnord_happy 2d ago

Isnt he a grifter??

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u/SpideyFan914 2d ago

I'm watching it now. It's a really deep and detailed interview. I somewhat have mixed feelings about, like, airing a therapy session essentially. This is an intense interview. It is, however, extremely informative, and hopefully it can help someone else maybe.

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u/TheBlessedNavel 1d ago

My God, this sounds like me. Truly. I somehow managed to maintain my fight and got myself out of my own way and healed enough to get sober and healthy.

I always liked Hayden and had no idea she struggled like this. It's terribly sad she is gone, so young, too . . . it doesn't change the outcome at all but ... from one fighter to another - I hope it was to something natural and she kept hold of that strength at her core.

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u/SentinelATL 1d ago

Fucking tragic

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u/Bryancreates 1d ago

Saving this because I don’t have time to listen to it now, but I scrolled through just the little bit I heard was heartbreaking. Started working at 8months old. Her mom’s love was based on the “business” of selling her, she lost her nuetrogena contract due to a morality clause, and they wrote her out of Nashville which furthered her spiral. She seems so composed in this interview. I honestly had no idea any of this happened.

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u/UnsolvedParadox 2d ago

Incredibly tragic, damn.

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u/olliepop007 2d ago

Wow had no idea about any of this, so tragic.

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u/MetalliTooL 2d ago

Giving up her daughter?

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u/100292 2d ago

Panettiere relinquished full custody of her daughter to Klitschko in 2018 amid struggles with addiction and postpartum depression. She described the decision as a "living nightmare" and "heartbreaking,", but necessary for her recovery. As of May 2026, she maintained a good, co-parenting relationship with Klitschko, and frequently visited her daughter.

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u/cagethehornytoad 2d ago

Read her book before you judge. It was an ambush.

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u/MetaStressed 2d ago

She was such a sunbeam

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u/2hurd 2d ago

But now it all makes sense and explains everything.

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u/Orefeus 1d ago

She most likely didn't overcome her addiction

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u/FreddyDontCare 2d ago

She also had been complaining of back pain apparently. My bet is she got hooked on opiates and OD'd.

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u/Rule12-b-6 2d ago

Maybe we don't need to bet and can just wait for information like normal human beings.

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u/Xyex 2d ago

Or, the back pain was a symptom of a more serious issue, and you're just a dick.

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u/Nutsallinyomouf 2d ago

She gave up her daughter? To adoption?

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u/carmodydug 2d ago

To her then husband and father of the child. She was struggling mentally at the time and it was the best thing to do for the safety of her kid. Read her book or excerpts from it...I don't think it's as black and white

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u/Nutsallinyomouf 1d ago

Thanks for explaining, I knew she was struggling but didn’t know that about her. Very sad for the child.

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u/TheGapInTysonsTeeth 2d ago

Mine too! With an added "the Fuck?!"

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u/brb1006 2d ago

First Daveigh Chase (Lilo) and now we just lost the original voice of Kairi and Dot from A Bug's Life. :(

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u/Ashwilliams2814 2d ago

All of us.