Who Is Hayden Panettiere’s Mother? Inside Their Estrangement
Hayden disclosed a lot about her complicated past with her mother during an emotional interview with Jay Shetty.
MikeTyes
![Hayden Panettiere arrives at her younger brother Jansen's celebration of life event in their hometown of Palisades, New York, with her on/off boyfriend Brian Hickerson. The grieving actress wore a colorful bomber jacket and black pants as she attended the memorial at the scenic Palisades Presbyterian Church alongside her mother Lesley Vogel and father Alan ‘Skip’ Panettiere, on Wednesday morning. Jansen’s girlfriend Cat Michie, who has posted a heartfelt tribute to him on social media, was also seen at the venue. ‘Scream, 6’ star Hayden, 33, was expected to speak at the event, which was being held in remembrance of the 28-year-old former child actor, who died last month due to an enlarged heart. A friend of the former actor told officials he'd checked on Jansen at home after he'd failed to show up for a business meeting. Upon arrival, he was found sitting upright in a chair unresponsive. Jansen's dad, Skip, had spoken to his son on the phone just the night before, and thought he "sounded okay." On Wednesday, friends and family came together at the small church which is just a few miles away from Jansen's apartment in Nyack where he was found dead. 08 Mar 2023 Pictured: Brian Hickerson, Hayden Panettiere. Photo credit: MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA953084_001.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]](https://hollywoodlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Hayden-Panettiere-jansen-memorial-mega-02.jpg?fit=330%2C440)
Hayden Panettiere is opening up like never before ahead of the release of her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. While sitting down with Jay Shetty on his podcast, “On Purpose,” in May 2026, the Scream VI actress detailed her difficult past with postpartum depression, addiction, pressures in the public eye and her personal relationships. Her comments about her estranged mother shocked fans, since Hayden claimed that “everything” in their mother-daughter relationship “was business.”
“I became the confidant and the assistant and the therapist and the shoulder to cry on and everything but her child,” Hayden claimed.
At one point during the interview, Hayden recalled a conversation she had with her mom when she was a child. As a rising star, Hayden’s personal brand (her acting career) paid for the family’s bills — from car payments to phone expenses — which left her feeling “incredibly uncomfortable.”
“At the same time I was working hard, making money, and this money was going towards things that I wasn’t privy to,” Hayden added.
Learn about Hayden’s complicated relationship with her mother, who she is and what happened between them here.
Hayden Panettiere with her mother, Lesley Vogel, on a yacht on Sydney Harbour on March 31, 2009 (Photo by Peter Carrette Archive/Getty Images)
What Is Hayden Panettiere’s Mother’s Name?
Hayden’s mom is Lesley R. Vogel (née Panettiere). Like her daughter, Lesley also worked as an actress. According to her IMDb profile, Lesley produced Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List and appeared in Sister Sensei and Loving as an actor.
What Happened Between Hayden & Her Mom?
According to Hayden, she ended her business relationship with Lesley years ago, and Lesley allegedly claimed that the Heroes alum owed her money.
“I said to her, ‘I don’t want us to work together anymore. I just want you to be my mom,'” Hayden said in her “On Purpose” podcast interview. “I remember being hopeful. But I also wasn’t expecting the reaction that I got, which was, ‘You owe me.’ And that’s all she said. And she walked out.”
Hayden continued, “It was disappointing to find out that it was money. The fact that she didn’t care to have a relationship with me was a tough pill to swallow.”
The Scream 4 actress noted that she “desperately wanted to still feel like I had parents to lean on,” so she was hurt that her mom seemingly just cared about finances.
Where Is Hayden Panettiere’s Father?
Hayden’s father, Alan Lee “Skip” Panettiere, and her mother divorced in 2016. He worked as a fire department lieutenant.
It’s unclear if Hayden maintained a relationship with her dad after she cut ties with her mom.
