Hayden Panettiere’s Mom slams Gayle King, Megyn Kelly over criticism after actress’ death

WASHINGTON:The death of actress Hayden Panettiere has led to an emotional public conversation about her life, her struggles and her relationship with her family. Now, her mother Lesley Vogel has spoken out against comments made by Gayle King and Megyn Kelly after the actress’ death.

Panettiere, known for her roles in Heroes, Nashville and the Scream franchise, died last Sunday at the age of 36. Following her death, Vogel, as per The Hollywood Reporter, spoke to NBC News about her daughter’s life and her on-and-off relationship with Brian Hickerson.

Vogel had said that she believed her daughter had “lost her way” and spoke about the difficulties she faced while growing up in the entertainment industry. Her comments later drew criticism from both King and Kelly.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, while speaking to a well-known news publisher about the reaction, Vogel said she was deeply hurt by the comments and felt that neither of them had contacted her before speaking about her. “I was very, very hurt and deeply disappointed in the lack of professionalism, the lack of compassion in slamming someone who’s lost two children, without even a modicum of consideration,” Vogel said.

She added that she had not been contacted before the comments were made. “No one reached out to me before,” she added. “It’s shameful. It’s unconscionable to me.”

Hayden Panettiere’s mom Lesley Vogel addressed her estrangement from the ‘Nashville’ actress, who died in South Carolina on Aug. 16 at the age of 36: “It was not for lack of care or love.” https://t.co/zOSsIKngCh pic.twitter.com/Svy4AUIpmh

— E! News (@enews) August 21, 2026

According to The Hollywood Reporter, during a Wednesday episode of CBS Mornings, King spoke about Vogel’s comments following Panettiere’s death. Referring to the way Vogel spoke about her daughter’s struggles, King said, “You know, guys, you read this and all I can think is, ‘Thanks, mom, for nothing’.” “It makes me so sad of the opportunity that you have after your daughter’s death that that’s what you choose to leave us with,” King added.

Kelly also spoke about Vogel on The Megyn Kelly Show, where she strongly criticised her parenting. “You failed at your job… You got an F as a parent,” Kelly said, referring to Vogel.

“You made a bunch of money off of your daughter,” Kelly added. “You probably have a super nice car and a big house. You failed. You raised someone to the age of majority who doesn’t feel safe, loved, or cherished. You’re a loser.”

Panettiere had previously spoken about her difficult relationship with her mother. In her memoir ‘This Is Me: A Reckoning’, the actress wrote about the pressure she felt from Vogel, who had also been her manager when she was growing up in the entertainment industry.

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in May, Panettiere spoke about how difficult it was to write about her childhood and her relationship with her mother. “Having to touch on everything about my relationship with my mother, that was one of the harder things to talk about,” Panettiere had said. “While writing it, I realized even more so how much of a toll it took on me.”

Page Six had also reported in May that Vogel had chosen to have no contact with her daughter after what was described as “20 years of trauma” and on the advice of professionals.

Vogel has also faced another major loss in her family. Her son and Panettiere’s younger brother died in February 2023 at the age of 28. (ANI)