Gayle King called out Hayden Panettiere’s estranged mother over remarks she made following her daughter's death.
In an Aug. 19 episode of "CBS Mornings," King addressed Lesley Vogel's recent interview where she discussed the death of the "Nashville" actress, who was found unresponsive on Aug. 16, in a Greenville, South Carolina, apartment complex.
"I think Hayden was an amazingly talented person in so many departments and I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry – it is a struggle and it’s a very challenging industry and it's not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path," Vogel told NBC News over the phone on Aug. 18. "I think it becomes very difficult to be true to yourself, and I think Hayden sadly lost her way, and I wish
it were different."
Alongside co-anchors Kelly O’Grady and Vladimir Duthiers, King criticized Vogel's comments, saying, "You know guys you read this and all I can think of is 'thanks mom for nothing.'"
Duthiers agreed and criticized Vogel for reminding the "world how much trauma she caused" when Panettiere can no longer respond.
USA TODAY has reached out to Vogel for comment.
King also recounted herMay interview with the "Heroes" star, who said she had a complicated relationship with her mother, which Panettiere described as a "work in progress."
"You hear stuff like that, and you realize it was still very much in progress," King said. "It makes me so sad that, of the opportunity that you have after your daughter's death, that that's what you choose to leave us with."
Gayle King urges Lesley Vogel to follow lead from Hayden Panettiere’s father
King also urged Vogel to follow the lead of Panettiere's father, Skip Panettiere, who confirmed his daughter's death in a statement to USA TODAY and remembered his daughter as "an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her – and to the millions who watched her onscreen."
Vogel managed Panettiere's career from infancy until the actress ended their professional relationship at 19. Panettiere later said the split also strained their relationship as mother and daughter, detailing their complicated history in interviews and her May memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning."
Ahead of her book's release, she discussed her complicated dynamic with Vogel on Jay Shetty's "On Purpose" podcast, released in May.
Panettiere said she considered her mother her "boss" and that their relationship revolved entirely around her career from the time she was a baby. In addition to being her mothers's client, she felt like her therapist and confidant, "everything but her child."
Panettiere, also known for roles in "Ice Princess," "Remember The Titans" and "Bring It On: All or Nothing," was with ex-partner Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson when she died on Aug. 16, according to a Greenville Police Department report. A cause of death has not been shared yet.
Vogel told NBC News that her family did not approve of her rekindled relationship with Brian Hickerson, adding "This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death and that was Brian Hickerson."
Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, Edward Seggera, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gayle King slams Hayden Panettiere's mom: 'Thanks, mom, for nothing'
