Hayden Panettiere Says a ‘Well-Respected’ Oscar Winner Flashed His Testicles at Her When She Was 19 - Variety

Hayden Panettiere wrote in her new tell-all memoir that when she was 19, a “well-respected” and “Oscar-winning actor and director” exposed himself to her at a party. Variety Plus Icon Click to expand the Mega Menu Plus Icon Click to Expand Search Input Variety Plus Icon Read Next: ‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’ EPs Break Down the Finale, That Custody Battle and Going Beyond the Book in Season 2 Home TV News May 19, 2026 1:15pm PT Hayden Panettiere Says a ‘Well-Respected’ Oscar Winner Flashed His Testicles at Her When She Was 19 Hayden Panettiere wrote in her new tell-all memoir that when she was 19, a “well-respected” and “Oscar-winning actor and director” exposed himself to her at a party. Revealing the story in her new memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” the “Nashville” and “Scream” star wrote that she was mingling with a group of men at a private apartment gathering, when she began feeling increasingly uncomfortable and decided to leave. Popular on Variety if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() { pmcCnx({ settings: { plugins: { pmcAtlasMG: { iabPlcmt: 2, } } }, playerId: 'fdaee7b3-292f-4a85-89bb-29a56b567de3', playlistId: '073c6e70-0010-4b87-92d0-d891f87f5cd8', }).render("connatix_contextual_player_div"); }); } else { // This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it's event time. window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer(); } Related Stories Inside NBCUniversal's Upfront: Vin Diesel Surprise, Tina Fey Sets Up NBC's 100th Birthday Bash and More at 'Most Glamorous Midmorning of the Year' Gilgo Beach Murders Scripted Series in the Works at Peacock, Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson to Produce (EXCLUSIVE) She wrote that one man, whom she does not name, came up to her as she put on her coat and indicated that he had chewing gum stuck to his pants. “I looked down and recoiled,” Panettiere wrote (via People). “This well-respected, award-winning actor’s testicles were hanging out from his unzipped fly.” blogherads.adq.push(function () { blogherads .defineSlot( 'medrec', 'gpt-variety-article-mid-article-uid0' ) .setTargeting( 'pos', ) .setTargeting( 'viewable', 'yes' ) .setSubAdUnitPath("ros\/mid-article") .addSize(,,,,,,]) .setClsOptimization("minsize") ; }); She continued, “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 attended the party with a friend, but she decided not to tell her about the incident because “the moment had passed,” and she chalked it up to “some older men had just grown up with no manners.” Elsewhere in the book, Panettiere recalled another friend introducing her to a “famous thirtysomething British singer-songwriter” while on a yacht in France. The unnamed artist was “lying in bed” and Panettiere’s friend urged her to “get in bed with him. He has a huge dick.” As soon as the friend left the room, Panettiere bolted. The actor also discussed her bisexuality, her relationship with Milo Ventimiglia, depression, domestic abuse and more. Read more takeaways from “This Is Me: A Reckoning” here.