Melissa Gilbert has called for stronger protections for child actors following the death of Hayden Panettiere, who died at age 36. The former star of 'Little House on the Prairie,' who also served as president of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), urged unions and the entertainment industry to push for concrete changes to protect performers who begin working in front of cameras at a very young age.
Gilbert wrote in a post on Substack that she did not know Panettiere personally, though she said the death affected her in a particularly personal way because of her own background as a child actress.
Three deaths in about a year
Gilbert asked how it was possible that no major media outlet had noticed a pattern, pointing out that in the span of roughly a year, three performers who began their careers as minors had died: Michelle Trachtenberg, Daveigh Chase and Hayden Panettiere.
She said she kept asking why these three young, sweet, hugely talented, vibrant women full of life were no longer here.
Gilbert noted she had previously worked with both Trachtenberg and Chase, which made the losses feel even more personal to her. She said it felt personal because she had once been in their position, describing former child actresses as belonging to the same community. She said they were all part of the same tribe, women who had been child performers, and that when one of them dies, it moves through all of them like an electric current. She added that when three die so close together, something is very wrong.
Addiction, mental health and social media
Gilbert also reflected on the addiction and mental health struggles that have affected some former child stars, as well as what she believes has been the impact of mobile phones, social media and constant public exposure on newer generations of performers.
In Trachtenberg's case, her official cause of death was attributed to complications from diabetes mellitus, according to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in New York.
Criticism of the industry and unions
Gilbert directed much of her criticism at the organizations responsible for representing and protecting industry professionals. She asked where the union was in all of this, where the collective outrage was, where the regulations were, and where the protection of privacy was.
She said the industry tends to react only after a tragedy, but that the outrage rarely turns into lasting reform. She said it truly seems that no one cares enough to push for real change, at least not until the next death.
Panettiere's daughter
Gilbert closed her reflection by recalling Panettiere's 11-year-old daughter, who will now grow up without her mother. Gilbert connected the situation to her own life, noting she was the same age when her own father died.
She said all she knew was that something needed to be done. She said she could not stop picturing Hayden's young daughter, who will now grow up without her mother, adding that the girl is eleven years old, the same age Gilbert was when her own father died.
Panettiere's career
Panettiere began her career almost as an infant, appearing in a Playskool toy commercial when she was just 11 months old. During her childhood and adolescence she appeared in productions including 'Remember the Titans,' 'Ally McBeal,' 'Raising Helen,' 'Tiger Cruise,' 'Racing Stripes,' 'Ice Princess,' 'Malcolm in the Middle' and 'Bring It On: All or Nothing,' before rising to wider fame in the series 'Heroes' and 'Nashville' and through her role in the 'Scream' franchise.
Panettiere's representative confirmed her death at 36, while police in Greenville, South Carolina, said initially that there were no signs of criminal involvement. An initial autopsy also found no signs of trauma.
Gilbert's comments add to those of other Hollywood figures who, following Panettiere's death, have again raised questions about the working conditions, public exposure and support given to minors within the entertainment industry.
