Gayle King Criticizes Lesley Vogel’s Statement After Hayden Panettiere’s Death

Grief manifests differently for every family, and the loved ones of Hayden Panettiere have experienced this in a very public manner following her passing. The actress, renowned for her role in the superhero drama ‘Heroes,’ died on August 16 at the age of 36, leaving behind a legacy defined by her career and her candidness about personal challenges.

In the wake of her death, tributes have flooded in from fans, former co-stars, and family members, each offering unique insights into who Panettiere was. Her father, Skip Panettiere, shared a touching statement, calling her “an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her.”

Conversely, her estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, adopted a noticeably different tone. While she referred to her daughter as “amazing” and “talented,” she also remarked that Panettiere had “sadly lost her way,” a comment that drew criticism due to the well-documented estrangement between them.

This reaction did not sit well with CBS Mornings host Gayle King, who read Vogel’s statement live on air and expressed her discontent. “You know, guys, you read this and all I can think is, ‘Thanks, Mom, for nothing,’” King said during the broadcast, criticizing Vogel for missing the chance to simply mourn her daughter without additional commentary.

King’s frustration was not unfounded. She referenced a prior interview with Panettiere from May, where the actress described her relationship with her mother as “complicated” but still “a work in progress.” This context made Vogel’s public remarks feel particularly out of place to King and her co-hosts.

CBS Mornings co-host Vladimir Duthiers echoed King’s sentiments, noting that Panettiere had spent years openly discussing her struggles, including in her memoir, where she candidly addressed the pressures of being a child star, postpartum depression, and substance use. “She cannot respond now, and for her mother to use these days after Hayden’s death to just remind the world just how much trauma she caused, it’s unseemly,” Duthiers stated, emphasizing that a mother’s instinct should be to mourn.

Vogel managed Panettiere’s career from her early years through her time on ‘Heroes,’ a professional relationship the actress ultimately severed after describing it as toxic in her memoir. This history continues to influence public perception of Vogel’s recent comments, especially given how openly Panettiere had discussed the impact of that dynamic on her life.

Vogel also made headlines with a separate statement to NBC News shortly after Panettiere’s death, mentioning the actress’s boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, saying, “This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death.”

This remark added further tension to an already fraught situation, with King suggesting that Vogel could have taken a cue from the way Skip Panettiere chose to honor his daughter’s memory. King specifically highlighted the tone of Skip Panettiere’s statement as the type of tribute she wished Vogel had provided.

Panettiere was reportedly found unresponsive and in cardiac arrest at an Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina, and was pronounced dead on August 16. As tributes and reflections on her life and career continue to emerge, the public discord between her mother and prominent media figures like King illustrates how complicated grief can become when a family’s private struggles are laid bare.

For fans who witnessed Panettiere evolve from a child star into one of television’s most recognizable figures of the late 2000s, her death has reignited discussions about the pressures of fame she openly addressed throughout her life.

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