The Scoop: Neutrogena faces boycott calls after Hayden Panettiere claims resurface

Claims that resurfaced after actress Hayden Panettiere’s death are putting Neutrogena back under scrutiny for a decision it made more than a decade ago.

The New York Post reports that Panettiere, who represented Neutrogena for roughly 10 years, said in her memoir released earlier this year that the skincare company moved to end its relationship with her after she publicly talked about her struggle with postpartum depression in 2015.

She later told Jay Shetty that discussing PPD was “the last thing that I thought they would ever fire me over.” Panettiere said her representative challenged the move at the time, but she believed the relationship was effectively over.

Now, after the actress’ passing, those comments resurfaced.

Fans began calling for a Neutrogena boycott, and users flooded the company’s social accounts with criticism.

One Reddit post calling for a boycott drew more than 5,000 upvotes, while an X post criticizing the company drew thousands of likes.

As of this morning, Neutrogena has not publicly addressed either Panettiere’s death or the renewed backlash. Stocks for Neutrogena’s parent company Kenvue fell about 2% Tuesday.

Why it matters: Past decisions may not stay in the past forever. Old interviews or social media could mean someone’s account of what happened could resurface years later.

And audiences are going to judge using today’s expectations. A company appearing to cut ties with someone for speaking openly about PPD lands very differently in 2026, when brands routinely talk about mental health, employee wellbeing and supporting women. Not to mention that it’s happening alongside Lindsay Clancy’s high-profile murder trial, which has put PPD at the center of public debate.

Responding now requires sensitivity. Any defensiveness disputing Panettiere’s claims could look cold after her death. But saying nothing leaves her version of events essentially uncontested as criticism builds. Comms teams should audit past content or public decisions for potential crises before they bubble up later. If a former spokesperson has publicly criticized the organization, know what was said, determine what records still exist and have a response strategy ready. It’ll be interesting to see how — or if — Neutrogena addresses the blowback in the coming days.

Why is this news outlet only accepting pitches by phone?

One publication has found a very low-tech way to deal with AI-generated pitches: Phone calls.

The Food Section, which covers food and agriculture in the South, will start accepting freelance story pitches by phone in September after getting flooded with AI-generated outreach.

Founder Hanna Raskin told Nieman Lab that about a quarter of recent pitches were fully AI-generated, including some tied to story ideas that may not have been real.

“We’re re-humanizing the process with a dedicated hotline,” Raskin said in her announcement. She also knows it’s likely a temporary fix, saying, “My hunch is it will work until it doesn’t.”

While the rule is for freelance writers, not PR teams, this could still be a signal that pitches need to be more personalized to get noticed. A phone pitch forces you to quickly explain why the story matters, why it fits that journalist and what is actually new. As AI makes mass pitching easier, thoughtful, useful and more human-sounding pitches will be the stronger standouts.

How is Nestlé catering to new consumer behavior?

Nestlé is looking at the rise of weight-loss drugs as a new consumer market rather than a threat to its business.

The company is developing products specifically for people taking GLP-1 drugs. The drugs obviously help suppress appetite, raising questions for packaged-food companies about what happens when millions of customers simply eat less.

Nestlé Chief Technology Officer Stefan Palzer told Reuters the company sees another side to the trend. “We are well positioned with the portfolio. It’s a huge opportunity for our company,” he said.

Nestlé said it’s using AI and nutrition research to identify products that could address issues associated with rapid weight loss, including muscle loss, hydration and changes to skin, hair and nails. In light of this, they’ve added protein and collagen to more products.

The company is also using internal AI tools to analyze scientific research, spot consumer trends and test how shoppers might respond to products and health claims before launch.

“You see noise around certain topics, and then you can conclude whether that’s a lasting trend or not,” Palzer said.

GLP-1 drugs could easily be framed as bad news for a snack company. Nestlé is instead telling a growth story: Consumer needs are changing, and the company is changing with them. This gives communicators a cool way to address shifts in technology, health or consumer behavior. Don’t only defend the existing business. Identify where the organization sees the next need and explain what it’s doing about it.

How is Reddit adapting its format?

Reddit is testing videos that use AI-generated voices to read Reddit posts out loud while highlighting the text on screen. Users can toggle between “Read” and “Play,” allowing them to either browse the original thread or watch the AI-generated version.

The idea builds on something users are already doing outside Reddit. TikTok, YouTube and other platforms are full of videos that pair Reddit stories with AI narration. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said spoken versions of posts “can be really engaging as well.” The company says the goal is to see whether it can bring that experience onto its own platform without losing what makes Reddit feel like Reddit.

“This is an early, limited experiment to understand whether people find these formats useful and how we can deliver them in a way that feels authentic to Reddit,” spokesperson Rosa Kim told The Verge.

This means Reddit content may increasingly reach more people. A discussion about a brand or product could easily become a short piece of video or audio content without the original poster or brand doing anything differently. It’s another reason brands should focus on being present, and useful, on the platform.