Christy Carlson Romano shared a chilling yet heartbreaking reflection on the challenges of childhood fame following the tragic death of Hayden Panettiere on August 16. The 42-year-old, who rose to fame as Ren Stevens on Disney’s Even Stevens in 2000, said, “Early fame is like CTE.”
Christy Carlson Romano reflects on the lasting impact of childhood fame following Hayden Panettiere’s death
Writing for Elle on August 18, the former child star detailed the challenges of growing up as a child star. She wrote, “Kid actors have something major in common: rejection. We’re rejected from auditions more times before we’re 10 than most people accrue in 10 lifetimes. Those of us who make it are given the adoration of saints—and then, if we don’t climb to A-list fast enough, we’re torn down as if we’ve committed some unspeakable mortal sin. All before our frontal lobes have fully formed.”
Romano pointed to the connection between childhood fame and addiction, suggesting that the industry can leave young performers with emotional wounds. She reflected on the conflicting expectations placed on child stars. She said young performers are treated as children when the public wants to protect them. However, they are treated as professionals when the industry wants to profit from them. She added that they can later be labeled as “spoiled celebrities” when they show the effects of those experiences.
Romano explained, “Early fame is like CTE. Not as a diagnosis. As a way of thinking about repeated impact.” She drew a comparison between the safeguards in youth sports and the lack of protections for child actors. She noted that young athletes have established protocols to address physical risks and concussions. In contrast, she said there is little recognition of the impact that stress, rejection, scrutiny, and a loss of privacy can have on child performers.
Hayden, who launched her acting career in 1994 at the age of four, was pronounced dead at her South Carolina home after she was found in cardiac arrest. The actress, who was featured in 2011’s Scream 4 as Kirby Reed, openly discussed her struggles with alcohol use and opioid addiction. She recalled in a 2022 People interview that the drugs made her feel “peppy” during interviews. She said, “I had no idea that this was not an appropriate thing, or what door that would open for me when it came to my addiction.”
Hayden is survived by her parents, father Skip Panettiere and mother Lesley Vogel, who formerly managed her career. She is also survived by her daughter, Kaya Klitschko, whom she welcomed in 2014 with her former fiancé, heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko.
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