Lesley Vogel, Hayden Panettiere’s mom, is slamming Gayle King after the CBS Mornings host criticized her response to her daughter’s death.
“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 during a recent interview with the Daily Mail regarding King’s comments.
“No one reached out to me before,” she added. “It’s shameful. It’s unconscionable to me.”
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to CBS Mornings for comment, but did not hear back at the time of publication.
Panettiere, an actress known for her roles in Heroes, Nashville and the Scream franchise, died last Sunday at age 36. Following her death, Vogel spoke to NBC News on Tuesday, where she criticized her daughter’s on-again-off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson and felt her daughter “lost her way.”
“This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death and that was Brian Hickerson,” she said at the time. “I think Hayden was an amazingly talented person in so many departments and I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry — it is a struggle and it’s a very challenging industry and it’s not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path.”
Vogel added, “I think Hayden sadly lost her way and I wish it were different. I wish she had stayed true to herself because she had many incredible attributes.”
The following day, during Wednesday’s CBS Mornings broadcast, King criticized Vogel for focusing too much on her daughter’s struggles amid her death. “You know, guys, you read this and all I can think is, ‘Thanks, mom, for nothing,’” the host said.
“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.
Panettiere had been open about her estranged relationship with her mother, who also served as her manager when she was growing up in the industry. In her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, the actress detailed the pressure she felt from Vogel.
During an interview with THR in May, Panettiere also opened up about the challenges of delving into her childhood and relationship with her mom when writing This Is Me. “Having to touch on everything about my relationship with my mother, that was one of the harder things to talk about,” Panettiere said. “While writing it, I realized even more so how much of a toll it took on me.”
Page Six reported in May that Vogel had chosen the “no-contact route” with Panettiere after “20 years of trauma” and on the advice of professionals.
Her son and Panettiere’s younger brother also died in February 2023 at the age of 28.
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