NEWSHayden Panettiere’s Estranged Mom Skeptical Over 'Timing' of Daughter's Bisexual Confession: 'It's Very Interesting'
Hayden Panettiere’s mom, Lesley Vogel, is apparently not convinced her daughter is a member of the LGBTQ community.
May 9 2026, Published 1:51 p.m. ET
Hayden Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, doesn't seem to be convinced her daughter is a member of the LGBTQ community.
The Scream 4 alum, 36, came out as bisexual in an interview published by Us Weekly on May 6.
Hayden Panettiere's Mother Claimed Their Relationship Broke Down in September 2025
Hayden Panettiere also had a brother, Jansen, who died in 2023.
"I do not believe it was being hidden, but there is no historic proof that this is the case,” Panettiere’s estranged mom told Daily Mail on Friday, May 8.
“I do think the timing of this coming out is very interesting," Vogel continued.
In her wide-ranging profile, Panettiere got candid about the fractured relationship she has with the former momager.
Lesley Vogel and Hayden Panettiere's relationship turned sour last year.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have a relationship right now. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t leave the door open for the opportunity to present itself one day. It’s hard for me to say, but I’ve chosen to be brutally honest,” the Heroes actress told Us Weekly.
Vogel claimed in her chat with Daily Mail how their estrangement was a "recent occurrence" and said it began around September 2025.
"We each are entitled to choose our path in life," she said.
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Hayden Panettiere's Memoir 'This is Me: A Reckoning' Will Be Released on May 19
The actress came out as bisexual in an interview published on May 6.
"After 20 years of trauma, chaos, addictions [and] accusations, I felt I had no other option but to choose no contact," Vogel said of the distance between herself and her daughter.
"There will forever be a lingering hope that she will find her own path to inner peace," she added. Vogel was also a mom to son, Jansen Panettiere, who died in 2023 at the age of 28.
She also stated she has not read Panettiere's upcoming memoir, This is Me: A Reckoning, which will debut on May 19.
The Nashville actress also divulged to Us Weekly how she felt her mother often pushed her too hard when she was a young starlet in Hollywood.
'Unfortunately, we don’t have a relationship right now,' the 'Scream' alum said of her mother.
"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. This is my way of doing it," Panettiere said of her book.
As for her sexuality, she noted that she never felt like it was “the right time” to be herself.
“It was either I was too young, and I was being forced to be perfect at all times. I was not encouraged to just be myself,” she admitted.
“Then came the period where it felt like people coming out, especially women, saying that they were bisexual or liked girls, was a fad. I was afraid that if I was honest, it was going to be like me jumping on the bandwagon. It was a very difficult topic to articulate properly. It’s sad I had to wait until I was 36 years old to share that part of me," Panettiere confessed.
