Actress Hayden Panettiere Recalls Shocking Boat Incident at 18

At 18 years old, actress Hayden Panettiere found herself in a small room on a boat, lying next to a "very famous" man who was completely naked. Now 36, she described the incident as "shocking" during a recent podcast appearance.

Panettiere shared the story on the podcast "On Purpose with Jay Shetty," detailing an experience she also recounts in her upcoming memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning." She said she believed she was enjoying a normal, fun evening with friends on the boat when someone she trusted—someone she considered a supporter—led her to a small room beneath the stairs.

That person placed her in the bed next to the famous man, who was not fully dressed. According to Panettiere, the man acted as if the situation was normal and routine for him.

She immediately felt danger and entered a "defensive state," refusing what was happening and trying to escape the room to hide elsewhere on the boat. Panettiere recalled realizing at that moment that no one would understand or sympathize with her situation. She added that she couldn't leave the vessel because they were "in the middle of the sea."

Looking back, the actress said she thought she was mature enough at that age to make safe decisions, but now sees she was not fully aware of what was happening around her.

These revelations come ahead of her memoir's release on May 19, just days after she publicly came out as bisexual. In a separate interview, Panettiere discussed the difficulties of dating women away from paparazzi, explaining she lacked the courage to show that side of her life publicly at the time.

Her mother, Leslie Vogel, commented on her daughter's recent announcement, calling the timing of the disclosure "interesting."