Hayden Panettiere's Family Guide: Her Brother Jansen, Daughter Kaya, More

Hayden Panettiere is getting candid about her relationships with her family.

The actress got her start in Hollywood at a young age, starring on One Life to Live from 1994 to 1997.

Hayden's only sibling, Jansen Panettiere, joined the family business in the early 2000s.

The brother-sister duo later acted together in 2004's Tiger Cruise and 2005's Racing Stripes.

As Hayden's career continued to sky-rocket - including leading roles on Heroes and Nashville and in the Scream franchise - her family life also made headlines. In 2008, Hayden's parents turned heads when news broke that her father, Skip Panettiere, allegedly struck his then-wife, Lesley Vogel.

Skip, who shares both Hayden and Jansen with Vogel, pleaded no contest after being charged with misdemeanor spousal battery. He was given two-years' probation, had to enroll in a domestic violence treatment program and was ordered to pay $400 to the California's domestic violence fund.

Vogel later filed for divorce in 2012.

Hayden began a family of her own in 2014 when she and then-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko welcomed daughter Kaya. The pair split four years later.

The Bring It On: All or Nothing star's family once again was in the news in February 2023 when multiple outlets reported that her younger brother, Jansen, died at age 28.

Scroll down to learn more about Hayden's family:

Skip Panettiere

Skip (real name Alan Lee Panettiere) is Hayden's father, who worked as a firefighter in New York City during his kids' childhood. He was also featured in 2010's Behind the Secrets of Jonathan Sperry.

The New York native was married to Vogel from 1987 to 2012 when the actress filed for divorce from her spouse following a domestic violence altercation four years prior. Skip moved on with a woman named Mekdem, whom he wed in 2017.

"My dad and I have a great relationship," Hayden exclusively told Us Weekly in her May 2026 cover story. "I actually went and lived with him and my stepmom for a while, where I was born and raised in Rockland County, and felt like being at home regrounded me. Being around family reminded me of who I am at my core."

Lesley Vogel

Hayden's mother was born in Louisville, Kentucky. She is an actress best known for portraying Edy Lester Donovan on 1984's Loving and appearing in 1994's Sister Sensei. Vogel is also a producer having worked on 2015's Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List. The actress was married to Skip for 21 years before they separated in 2008. She filed for divorce in January 2012.

Though Vogel managed Hayden's early career, the Ice Princess actress "broke up" with her mom in the business world when she was 19 years old. The pair's relationship has been rocky since.

"Unfortunately, we don't have a relationship right now," Hayden told Us. "But that doesn't mean that I don't leave the door open for the opportunity to present itself one day. It's hard for me to say, but I've chosen to be brutally honest."

Mekdem Panettiere

The I Love You, Beth Cooper actress' father, Skip, married her stepmother, Mekdem, in June 2017. Hayden served as a bridesmaid at the ceremony, which took place at her hometown church in Palisades, New York. Hayden's brother, Jansen, was a groomsman while her daughter, Kaya, was one of the flower girls. Mekdem, who is Ethiopian, dated Skip for two years before they tied the knot.

Jansen Panettiere

The Scream 4 star's brother, Jansen, was born in September 1994. Like his sister, he began acting at a young age, landing his first role in 2002 as Kupchack's son on an episode of Even Stevens. Jansen voiced several video game characters before playing Truman X on The X's from 2005 to 2006. Some of his bigger roles include Luke in The Last Day of Summer, Enrique Suarez in The Perfect Game and Robin in 2022's Love and Love Not. He also works as an artist, often sharing his latest projects on social media.

News broke in February 2023 that Jansen died at the age of 28. Ahead of his passing, the former child star was dating nurse Catherine Michie.

Like Hayden, Jansen struggled with substance abuse prior to his death.

"I was shocked that it had gotten that bad," Hayden told Us of her brother using crack and heroin. "When said that he had put those two substances in his body, I was floored. I should have understood better than anybody, what he was going through. And of all the people that could have saved him from passing away, it should have been me. I was willing to do anything to make sure that he was OK. But you realize that you can't love somebody out of a situation like that if they're not ready or willing to heal."

She continued, "I got him into treatment. I had a standing appointment with his therapist [and] I tried to give them as much advice as I could in order to be able to reach my brother mentally and make him want to heal and get better. I tried to do everything in my power and then he didn't love treatment the way [I had]."

Kaya Evdokia Klitschko

Hayden welcomed her daughter, Kaya, in December 2014 with her then-fiancé Klitschko. Following the pair's 2018 split, the professional boxer was given primary custody of Kaya.

"Today, I met the most amazing (not so little anymore) creature," the Forger actress captioned an Instagram photo in celebration of her daughter's 6th birthday in December 2020. "Can't believe my baby girl is getting so big! #HappyBirthdayKaya #blessed @klitschko."

Two years later, a source exclusively told Us that Hayden is "the best mom that she can be despite the custody arrangement," referring to Kaya's primary home being in the Ukraine with her father. "She video chats with her daughter and checks in on her all the time."

In September 2022, Hayden spoke out about how hard it was to agree to let Kaya live with her ex while she worked on her sobriety. "I felt horribly guilty. But at the same time, I was trying to tell myself that if I'm not OK, if I'm not good, then I cannot be the best mom to [Kaya]," she revealed during an episode the Red Table Talk. "Signing those papers to give him full custody was, like, the most heartbreaking thing I've ever, ever had to do in my life."

Wladimir Klitschko

Klitschko is Hayden's ex-fiancé, whom she began dating in 2009. The twosome split in 2011 but later reconciled and got engaged in 2013. The professional athlete, who is from Ukraine, welcomed his first child with the Ice Princess actress the following year.

The duo called it quits for good in August 2018. "We're still respectful of each other, and we still have that friendship with each other," Hayden exclusively told Us in February 2019 of her ex and their coparenting dynamic. "It's not a situation that you find yourself in all that often, so it's a new one. But I think we've done a really good job."

Today, Hayden has an "incredible relationship" with her ex and her daughter, she told Us.

"I'm so grateful for Wlad. We're very close, and have had a deep friendship, along with a relationship, since I met him when I was 19," she explained. "So to see that we still have this bond and the ability to coparent and show our daughter [that] even though we're not together, doesn't mean that there's a lack of love here, and it doesn't mean that you're unsafe."

Hayden continued, "And my daughter, she's just an incredible gift. She's otherworldly and so kind and so fierce and surrounded by good people, and it's incredible for me to be able to watch her thrive in areas that I struggled with growing up. She's just the best thing, all the best parts of me and Wlad."

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This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 1:00 PM.