Hayden Panettiere, 35, sparks fears among fans again over ‘hard to watch’ interview with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager

Hayden Panettiere has sparked further concerns over her well-being after an appearance on Today with Hoda & Jenna, with fans claiming her “slurred speech” and “slowed speech.”

Hayden, 35, joined Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager live in the studio on Tuesday to promote her new film Amber Alert, just a day after she released a statement in response to concerns over her recent interview with People magazine.

The actress took to Instagram to address her “slurred speech” after a video clip of her talking about grieving the loss of her younger brother went viral. Hayden claimed the publication opted not to use footage filmed at the beginning of the interview, and appeared to blame the editing process.

However, her live appearance on Today prompted similar reactions online, after the blonde star opened up to Hoda (60) and Jenna (42) about her mental health and the way her body responded to the grief following the death of her sibling in February 2023.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, someone posted: “It was so hard watching Hayden Panettiere on @HodaAndJenna. What happened to her? Her eyes are so empty and her speech seems so slowed down.”

The 35-year-old actress was a live in-studio guest with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager on Tuesday morning

Another user replied saying, “I was just thinking the same thing. I feel bad,” while a third person claimed, “She looks like she’s under the influence.”

Someone else commented: ‘I didn’t want to be rude because I don’t know what she’s going through but she seems heavily under the influence of something in that interview.’

“Her speech was slurred and her eyes were closed for too long at times. I hope she is okay,” they added.

During the interview, Jenna, a mother of three, asked Hayden, “How did it feel to take charge of your mental health and then talk about it publicly?” She admitted that she “thought it would be easier.”

“I thought people would have empathy, that that would be the only thing there was, but I had no idea how my body and my mind would respond to grief,” she said.

‘It’s crazy what stress and sadness and all those hormones and what’s going on in your body can do… I mean, make you pass out. My mother, when she was stressed – she’s going to kill me for saying this – she would get knots on her head.

“It comes in all forms, so no one should be ashamed or judged for it.”

And when asked how she’s been able to “process” her brother’s death, Hayden said, “I don’t know if I have at all. I think it’s something that changes over time.

One viewer went to X and shared his concerns, claiming Hayden’s speech was ‘delayed’

More viewers agreed, with one person saying she “spoke words that weren’t completely clear” during the interview

Hayden had a big smile on her face as she left the Today Show wearing a chic gray blazer and black high-waisted pants

Hayden responded to the controversy surrounding her “slurred speech” interview with People magazine, sharing a statement on Instagram

Hayden pictured with her brother Jansen in January 2019. He sadly passed away in February 2023 from an undiagnosed heart condition.

‘Maybe the five stages of grief are for people who have had a broken heart or are hearing bad news. Yes, there are five stages, but there are many more in between.

“And when you lose someone who you’ve seen in all the important moments of your life, who’s been there by your side, it just shakes your world. So it just changes… it changes.”

On Monday, Hayden posted a photo of herself posing in a television studio on Instagram, along with a lengthy caption, in which she expressed her concerns following her interview with People.

She responded to her fans, saying, “It’s incomprehensible that I’m in this position, but I feel compelled to discuss this in a space where I won’t be criticized for how fast or slow I speak.

“I had not slept for two days before the shoot because one of my dogs was recovering from emergency surgery. It was an 8 hour shoot followed by an on-camera interview that would last 1 hour.”