Actress Hayden Panettiere has alleged that an Oscar-winning actor and director exposed himself to her without consent when she was a teenager, describing the incident in her new memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.
The actress detailed the alleged encounter while reflecting on her experiences growing up in Hollywood and the abuse she says she endured during her early years in the entertainment industry. According to Panettiere, the incident occurred when she was 19 years old after attending a party where she had become uncomfortable while speaking with a group of men near the end of the night.
In the memoir, she said a “well-respected” Oscar winner approached her as she was preparing to leave and complained about gum being stuck to his trousers. Panettiere wrote that when she looked down, she instead discovered the man had allegedly exposed his genitals to her.
The actress said she immediately recoiled from the situation. She described the incident as “a head-scratcher,” adding: “It hadn’t hurt me and I was sure it was a drunken joke, but I’d never seen a grown man do something like that. I was shocked.”
Panettiere said she never discussed the alleged incident with friends at the time because “the moment had passed” and she believed some people had simply grown up without learning proper boundaries or manners. The memoir reportedly contains several other accounts from her time in Hollywood, including allegations involving inappropriate situations and personal trauma she says she experienced while working in the industry.
Panettiere also reflects on other painful experiences in the book, including health complications surrounding childbirth and moments she says left lasting emotional effects. This Is Me: A Reckoning has now been released publicly.
