The “Nashville” actress still thinks she should have “saved” her younger sibling, who died of an enlarged heart.

Hayden Panettiere reveals she’s estranged from mom, addresses brother Jansen’s sudden death: ‘I was floored’

The "Nashville" actress still thinks she should have "saved" her younger sibling, who died of an enlarged heart.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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May 6, 2026 3:01 p.m. ET

Hayden Panettiere, Jansen Panettiere, and their mom, Lesley Vogel, in 2019. Credit:

Amanda Edwards/Getty

- Hayden Panettiere got candid about her relationship with her family as she prepares to release her new memoir.

- The *Nashville* star revealed that she is estranged from her mom and former manager, Lesley Vogel.

- Panettiere also admitted to struggling with guilt over the 2023 death of her younger brother, Jansen.

Hayden Panettiere is holding nothing back, even when it comes to her complicated relationship with her family.

The former child star gets shockingly candid in her new memoir, *This Is Me: A Reckoning*, delving into her struggles with substance abuse, postpartum depression, the sudden loss of her younger brother, and the emotional impact of having her mom double as her manager.

While promoting the book's upcoming release, Panettiere offered insight into her dynamic with her mother, confessing that they are currently estranged.

"Unfortunately, we don't have a relationship right now," Panettiere said of her mom, Lesley Vogel, in a new interview with *Us Weekly.* "But that doesn't mean that I don't leave the door open for the opportunity to present itself one day."

Hayden Panettiere and her mom, Lesley Vogel, in 2009.

Peter Carrette Archive/Getty

Panettiere, who was only 8 months old when she signed to a modeling agency and went on to find success as a child star, said she used the new book to get "brutally honest" about her mother pushing her too hard.

"I was so scared of her that approaching her and being honest about my feelings [back then] was not going to get me any positive reaction," she said. "This is my way of doing it."

Elsewhere in the interview, Panettiere opened up about the loss of her younger brother, Jansen, who unexpectedly died in 2023 at 28 years old, having suffered from an enlarged heart and aortic valve complications.

Before his death, Jansen struggled with substance abuse, and Panettiere admitted that she still feels like she should have "saved him."

"I was shocked that it had gotten that bad," she said, referencing his use of crack and heroin. "When he said that he had put those two substances in his body, I was floored. I should have understood better than anybody what he was going through. And of all the people that could have saved him from passing away, it should have been me."

Hayden Panettiere and Jansen Panettiere in 2013.

Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

She continued, "I was willing to do anything to make sure that he was okay. But you realize that you can't love somebody out of a situation like that if they're not ready or willing to heal."

The *Heroes* alum went on to recount her efforts to help her brother through his substance abuse issues after having struggled with alcohol and opiate abuse herself.

"I got him into treatment. I had a standing appointment with his therapist, [and] I tried to give them as much advice as I could in order to be able to reach my brother mentally and make him want to heal and get better," she said. "I tried to do everything in my power, and then he didn't love treatment the way [I had]. I found so much peace there, whereas he felt like he was caged."

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She added, "I thought, 'Is this making it worse? How do I not know how to help him?' And then his death happened. Getting that call, it was like a punch in the gut, and I felt my mind just completely went blank."

Hayden Panettiere in 2024.

Raymond Hall/GC Images

Panettiere said that years later, it feels "more and more painful" to accept Jansen's absence. "I never saw myself having to live my life without him," she said. "It's something that I wish I could tell people — [that] you feel their presence and time heals your heart. But … it's still a struggle to combat the feeling of failure and guilt."

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Despite her brother's death and her distance from her mother, Panettiere's other familial bonds are strong. The actress, who has an 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, with her ex-fiancé, boxer Wladimir Klitschko, said they remain in close contact, adding that she is also tight with her father and stepmother.

"My dad and I have a great relationship," she said. "I actually went and lived with him and my stepmom for a while, where I was born and raised in Rockland County, and felt like being at home regrounded me. Being around family reminded me of who I am at my core."

*This Is Me: A Reckoning* hits shelves May 19.

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