Hayden Panettiere Dead: Christy Carlson Romano Compares Early Fame to CTE

The Kim Possible star emphasized the lack of accountability by adults in the industry. 

“Stage parents blame producers, producers blame parents, networks blame culture, and culture then blames the child when the child becomes an adult in pain,” she added. “By then, the young performer is no longer cute enough to protect. They are a cautionary tale. A headline.”

Romano reflected on the passing of Panettiere—who began acting at just 11 months old, earning her first major role in One Life to Live at age 4—as a child actor herself. The actress was pronounced dead at her South Carolina home Aug. 16 after she was found in cardiac arrest. 

“Another performer I grew up with, gone too soon,” she wrote. “I am thinking of Hayden, her daughter, the people who loved her in real life—not as a headline, not as a symbol.”

“We need to stop assuming former child performers are fine because they look pretty, sound grateful, book a job, and smile on cue,” Romano noted. “Some of them are not unscathed. Some of them are simply still performing.”

For more celebrities who’ve paid tribute to Panettiere, keep reading.