A former endorser alleging discrimination is a PR crisis for any brand. But when the allegation comes from a beloved star who's just died tragically and young, the damage could be beyond repair. That’s the situation in which Neutrogena finds itself in the wake of the untimely death of actress Hayden Panettiere, 36, on Aug. 16. To promote her new memoir, This is Me: a Reckoning, Panettiere—who first rose to fame on NBC's Heroes—appeared on Jay Shetty’s podcast, On Purpose, a week before Hachette released the book on May 19. One hour into the interview, Panettiere claimed that Neutrogena fired her after she spoke about postpartum depression during an appearance on Live! With Kelly and Michael in 2015. “Neutrogena was a huge part of my life,” said Panettiere, a fixture in the brand's spots. The young star explained that her endorsement deal included “morals clauses,” and how the brand “caught absolutely everything. And of all the things that they would fire me over, this was the last thing that I thought they would ever fire me over.” ADWEEK did not receive a response to a request for comment from Neutrogena (part of Kenvue’s brand portfolio), which has also issued no public statement by press time. That silence is a mistake, according to brand consultant Allen Adamson, cofounder of Metaforce. “They must respond, and fast,” he said. “When your brand is trending for the wrong reason, speed is everything. Wait too long and consumers pass judgement on you. Once that verdict is in, it’s nearly impossible to reverse.” And the verdict does appear to be in, at least judging from X posts over the last 24 hours. “What a horrible company,” said one. Another said: “Neutrogena hates women!”  A third was angrier still: “F*ck Neutrogena…. Do you know who buys your shit? WOMEN! Not now.” Kelcey Kintner, svp of crisis PR firm Red Banyan, said that Neutrogena has already missed its opportunity to respond, and now it may simply be too late. “When this story broke in May, Neutrogena remained quiet, and that silence has only fueled the backlash in the wake of [Panatierre's] death,” Kintner said. “Now, any attempts to defend the company’s alleged past actions or correct any false narratives will fall very flat, and spark more debate and news coverage.” In her interview with Shetty, Panettiere—who was 17 years old when Hero’s pilot aired—recounted how the paparazzi tailed her, opening every facet of her life to scrutiny. “Every cigarette that I smoked or bad outfit,” she said, would lead to cruel comments such as “Oh, she's looking chunky in a bathing suit. Oh, she has a fat vagina.” But it was speaking publicly about the depression that followed the 2014 birth of her daughter Kaya, Panettiere said, that proved a dealbreaker with Neutrogena, which first “wanted to fire me” and, after allegedly backing off, dropped her once the contract ran. “I knew that… I was not going to be invited back the next year—and I had worked with these people for 10 years,” Panettiere said. According to Intrepid president Chris Thomas, a 30-year veteran of crisis response, there are times when a company has nothing to gain by commenting. “One of the biggest mistakes organizations make is responding when it’s unnecessary. He often refers to the concept as ‘breaking into jail,’” or “where the response itself creates a much larger story.” Even so, he added, “if the situation reaches the point where a public response is appropriate, the objective shouldn’t be to win a debate over a decade-old allegation. The focus should be on demonstrating care, empathy, and the organization’s current values.” A story not dissimilar to Panettiere’s allegations made news in May of 2019, when Olympian Allyson Felix wrote in the New York Times that, when she became pregnant, Nike planned to drop her compensation by 30%. Under immense public pressure, Nike reformed its policies.  By then, however, it was too late. Fleix dumped Nike and signed a deal with Athleta. “It was important for me to find a partner that championed my values,” she said at the time.