Hayden Panettiere on what happened in the interview the internet wanted taken down.

In 2023, actress Hayden Panettiere suffered the unimaginable loss of her younger brother Jansen Panettiere. He was 28 years old.

His cause of death was later attributed to an enlarged heart, a condition that often goes undiagnosed and can lead to sudden cardiac events.

"He was my only sibling, and it was my job to protect him," the actress said in a new interview with People Magazine. "When I lost him, I felt like I lost half of my soul."

"When something that massive has happened to you, you really learn to pick your fights and just not let the little things upset you," she told the publication. "Because once something so horrific, so deep, so catastrophic happens in your life, there's not much that can really rock you."

"I will always be heartbroken about it. I will never be able to get over it," she said. "No matter how many years go by, I will never get over his loss."

Panettiere also discussed the difficulty of being photographed by paparazzi at her brother's funeral, and how this experience heightened her agoraphobia [anxiety about being in public places].

Elsewhere in the interview, Panettiere opened up about her daughter, who now lives in Europe with her father Wladimir Klitschko.

When the former couple split in 2018, Klitschko gained full custody with Kaya living with him in the Ukraine. At the time, Panettiere was struggling with alcohol abuse and addiction.

On Red Table Talk in 2022, she opened up about her addiction and pinpointed her first experience with drugs at a premiere for the hit series Heroes. Someone gave her a 'happy pill' to stay alert while doing a red carpet. She was 16.

The actress struggled with addiction in the years that followed. In 2020, Panettiere underwent both trauma therapy and inpatient treatment and became sober.

Though her daughter lives with her father, Panettiere is still involved in her life.

"She's beautiful, she came out just like me," she told People.

Accompanying the new article, People Magazine shared a 13 minute video from their interview. Within minutes of the video being shared across social media, fans began calling for the clips to be removed.

Hayden Panettiere with her brother, Jensen, in 2009. Image: Getty.

Fans have labelled the filmed interview 'sad' and 'uncomfortable,' with some going so far as to say it was 'exploitative.' Comments have requested the video be removed, while others have questioned why it was shared in the first place.

"People Magazine got no business posting this," one of the top comments on YouTube reads.

"Hey, you should remove this. This isn't fodder for gossip, this is sad and exploitative," wrote one user on Instagram.

"Remove the video interview. This is beyond inappropriate," added another.

"Shame on whoever made the decision to do this interview and put this out for people to see. Taking advantage of a sick person," wrote another.

In response to the backlash, the actress has released a statement on Instagram to 'address the controversy' and relay what happened during the eight-hour photo shoot and interview.

"It's unfathomable that I'm even in this position, but I feel forced to address it in a space where I won't be criticised for how fast or slow I speak," she began.

"I hadn't slept for two days prior to the shoot due to one of my dogs who was recovering from an emergency surgical procedure."

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She went on to say she had asked to re-shoot the video due to her exhaustion.

"The interview started well, and for the record, its beginning is not included in the version People Magazine posted. I was exhausted. My rep stopped the interview early as it became obvious that I was fading — especially as the subject matter became heavier," she said.

"We asked the interviewer if we could re-do it another day or do a follow-up interview on Zoom. She assured us that it wasn't necessary, and that she felt it was an emotional and heartfelt interview. We were also told they would edit it and that it would be a beautiful piece. The magazine does not grant approval for images or video interviews before they run. We see the interview when it goes live."

Panettiere added that she may have come across as different because she's still processing the death of her brother.

"Grief looks different on everyone. Whether or not I am on medication is none of anyone's business and is between me and my doctor. I am doing interviews to promote my new film because I am proud of it. The real issue here is the toxicity of social media, and a news cycle that is driven by clickbait," she said.

When the video was released, many comments claimed Panettiere appeared to be under the influence in the video. Among the top concerns, fans worried People Magazine were "doing further harm" to her image or taking advantage of her grief by releasing the filmed interview.

Panettiere's rep spoke to Page Six on behalf of the actress following the backlash, saying that "speaking about her brother for the first time was very emotional for her — and it had been a long and exhausting day for her. She was not under the influence."

They further told the publication that Panettiere "fully cooperated" with the video shoot and had her team on set for the entirety of filming.

Feature Image: Getty.

This article was originally published on September 20, 2024 and has since been updated with new information.