Fans Question Hayden Panettiere's Health After Watching Her Discuss Her Brother's Death

Actor Hayden Panettiere has fans concerned about her physical and mental health after hearing her open up about her younger brother Jansen Panettiere's tragic death.

During an interview about her only sibling, who died in February 2023, the Scream star's behavior was hard for some of her supporters to watch. Here's what to know.

On Wednesday, Sept. 18, People posted a sitdown with Hayden about how she's healing after spending over a year mourning Jansen's sudden death. She shared with the outlet that losing her sibling is something she will "always be heartbroken about" and is still processing it as much as she can.

"He was my only sibling, and he was my younger sibling, and it was my job to protect him," she said. "When I lost him, I felt like I lost half of my soul."

Underneath the outlet's YouTube post of the interview, Hayden received much support for sharing her grief. However, many fans noticed her slurred speech and dazed appearance. Some asked in the comments if the Heroes actor was under the influence of medication — prescribed or otherwise.

"You can really see and hear the medications she's on," one fan wrote. "I hope her heart heals a little more. It's so so hard to lose soo much of yourself."

"I hope she is OK. I genuinely do because she's been through so much but she looks like she is heavily medicated," another mentioned.

"This is heartbreaking," a third fan said. "But I don't think she's very well. Such a shame, Hayden you are an incredible talent. I hope you can heal yourself."

Jansen's death was caused by cardiomegaly (enlarged heart) coupled with aortic valve complications, per the medical examiner. Before her brother died, Hayden told People in 2022 that she had completed an eight-month at an inpatient rehab facility for an addiction to opiates and alcohol. In February 2024, the actor confirmed she was still sober.