The actress Hayden Panettiere has publicly identified as bisexual, saying she is ready to share that part of her life as she prepares to publish her memoir. In an interview published on May 6 with Us Weekly, Panettiere explained that writing This Is Me: A Reckoning gave her the space to speak honestly about her experiences. She described years of concern about tabloids, a strict public image and a hesitation to come out when she felt it would be misread or dismissed.
Panettiere, who is 36, told the outlet that she dated women from a “very young age” and often felt more drawn to women than men in her youth. She said the timing to speak openly never felt right until she had the opportunity to present her story fully and carefully in book form. The star acknowledged the bittersweet nature of waiting until midlife to disclose this aspect of her identity: “better late than never,” she said.
Why now: privacy, publicity and choosing the moment
For someone who grew up in front of cameras, decisions about what to reveal carry extra weight. Panettiere described a combination of factors that kept her from coming out earlier, including relentless paparazzi attention and pressure to appear flawless. She also voiced concern that declarations of attraction to women were sometimes treated as a passing trend, making it difficult to explain a sincere identity without being misconstrued. By tying the disclosure to her memoir, she said she could frame the narrative on her own terms and reach readers with a full accounting rather than a single headline.
Career highlights and public life
Hayden Panettiere has been acting and modeling since infancy, with her professional career taking off with a 1994 appearance on the soap opera One Life to Live. She gained wide recognition for her role as Claire Bennet on Heroes, and later for portraying Juliette Barnes on the musical drama Nashville from 2012 to 2018. On the big screen she is known for films such as Bring It On: All or Nothing and I Love You, Beth Cooper, and she plays Kirby Reed in the Scream franchise, including a return in Scream VI.
Public relationships and family
Her personal life has intersected with public interest: Panettiere has dated co-star Milo Ventimiglia, was engaged to boxer Wladimir Klitschko with whom she shares a daughter born in 2014, and later had a relationship with Brian Hickerson. The latter relationship ended before his 2026 sentencing related to domestic violence charges. Panettiere has spoken about removing abusive influences from her life and the challenges of rebuilding stability while parenting in the public eye.
Struggles, recovery and what the memoir covers
This Is Me: A Reckoning chronicles Panettiere’s life from child actor to tabloid subject and explores difficult topics she has faced. The book reportedly covers her battles with postpartum depression, struggles with addiction to opioids and alcohol, and experiences of trauma and domestic abuse. She first spoke openly about her substance issues in 2026 and has sought treatment multiple times. In addition to her own recovery, Panettiere has endured personal loss: her brother Jansen, also an actor, died suddenly in 2026 from a heart condition.
What she said about falling in love
Although Panettiere confirmed having dated women and feeling more attracted to them during certain periods, she said she has not fallen in love with a woman publicly because she feared having to hide such a relationship. That fear of exposure and the emotional cost of concealment shaped how fully she allowed herself to pursue romantic attachments. With the memoir’s forthcoming release, she voiced a new comfort in naming her orientation aloud and on her terms.
Looking forward
Panettiere’s memoir is set to be released on May 19, and she has signaled that this chapter of candid disclosure is part of a broader effort to reclaim her narrative. By combining revelations about identity, addiction and trauma with the arc of a lifelong career in entertainment, she hopes to offer readers an honest portrait rather than a soundbite. For fans and observers, the announcement marks another moment where a public figure uses a long-form platform to control how their story is told.
Whatever readers take from the pages of This Is Me: A Reckoning, Panettiere’s coming out is being received as a personal decision shaped by years of scrutiny, recovery and reflection. She chose to speak when she could do so deliberately, and in doing so added another layer to a life lived very much in view of the public.