Fears for Hayden Panettiere After ‘Disturbing’ Video Shows Her Seemingly ‘Slurring’ as New Interview Claims She’s Sober

Fans expressed their fears for actress Hayden Panettiere, claiming she appeared to be seemingly “slurring” and not sober in a new interview, calling it “exploitive” and asking for it to be taken down.

Hayden, 35, talked to People about her daughter, Kaya, and how the child is her mini-me. The video, which was shared via Instagram on Wednesday, September 18, raised alarm bells among fans and celebrities alike.

Dancing With the Stars pro Peta Murgatroyd wrote, “This interview should be removed asap!!” while another person added, “Whoever is responsible for posting this should be questioned immediately.”

One fan said the interview reminded her of the late Anna Nicole Smith. “There should be a law against doing interviews and also posting videos of a public figure OBVIOUSLY under the influence of something OR just not doing well. Shame. Reminds me of Anna Nicole….” the user wrote. Another person told the publication, “Poor Hayden. Obviously not sober. Do better People.”

“Slurred speech, eyes can barely stay open, trying to make it through long words clearly not sober. Very sad,” one fan wrote about Hayden with a crying face emoji. An angry user left the comment, “This is complete exploitation. This is an addict who is clearly very unsober.”

In the interview, Hayden discussed her daughter, Kaya, 9, who she welcomed in 2014 with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko. The duo split in 2018, and the child moved to Ukraine with her father while Hayden battled addiction issues.

“She’s beautiful, and she came out just like me. I mean, talk about nature versus nurture. I mean, this little girl literally came out, not just her face resembling mine, but she is my personality,” the former Heroes star described, slightly slurring and pausing between words.

Hayden opened up about her struggle with opioid and alcohol addiction to People in July 2022.

“I was on top of the world, and I ruined it. I’d think I hit rock bottom, but then there’s that trap door that opens,” she described.

The Scream 4 star said of her sobriety, “This hasn’t been easy and there were a lot of ups and downs. But I don’t regret even the ugliest things that have happened to me. I feel incredibly accomplished. And I feel like I have a second chance.”

In the September 18 issue of People, Hayden also opened up about the 2023 death of her brother, Jansen Panettiere, from an undiagnosed heart condition.

“He was my only sibling, and it was my job to protect him. When I lost him, I felt like I lost half of my soul,” she told the outlet.

Hayden went on to describe how she got back in shape after she suffered a rapid weight gain due to the “stress and cortisol” her body went thought during her grief, causing the actress to “balloon out” and avoid going out in public.

The Amber Alert star began working with a personal trainer. “My body just started reacting, not just from the working out. It allowed me to release the stress, the high expectations I’d always put on myself,” she explained. “There’s nothing like looking in the mirror and feeling like you look good enough to walk out the door.”