Christy Carlson Romano is comparing child stardom to the deadly brain disease CTE while reflecting on the death of former child star Hayden Panettiere.
“The former child actor exists in a category the world does not know how to hold. We are children when the public wants to feel protective of us, professionals when the industry wants to profit from us, and spoiled celebrities when we eventually show symptoms of having been both,” former child actor Romano, 42, wrote in an essay for Elle published on Tuesday, August 18, revealing her candid reaction to Panettiere’s untimely and shocking death at age 36.
“Early fame is like CTE,” she continued. “Not as a diagnosis. As a way of thinking about repeated impact.”
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is a brain disease likely caused by repeated head injuries that kills nerve cells in the brain, according to Mayo Clinic. It is often associated with professional athletes who endured repeated concussions.
Romano’s essay comes two days after Panettiere, who launched her acting career after starring in various TV commercials at the age of 11 months, died suddenly in Greenville, South Carolina. The cause and manner of her death are the subjects of further investigation, per a statement issued by the Greenville County Coroner’s Office on Monday, August 17, though authorities responding to the scene discussed an “unresponsive female” who was experiencing “cardiac arrest” and a suspected “drug overdose.”
Detailing her CTE comparison, Romano — who rose to fame through acclaimed theater work from the age of 6 — continued, “We now have language for youth sports: protocols, helmets, parents worried about concussions. But we have almost no language for what happens when stress, scrutiny, rejection, adult pressure, and the collapse of privacy become the architecture of a childhood.”
She further noted that child actors are treated as “lucky,” “cute,” and “talented” exceptions “whose labor powers one of the most profitable storytelling machines in the world, while their mental needs are treated as inconvenient or irrelevant.”
Romano, who has gone on to star in multiple Disney Channel projects including 2002’s Cadet Kelly opposite Hilary Duff, also argued that if child actors don’t “climb to A-list [status] fast enough, we’re torn down as if we’ve committed some unspeakable mortal sin.”
The essay also referenced Panettiere directly. “[I’m] crushed. Another performer I grew up with, gone too soon,” Romano wrote.
An autopsy into Panettiere’s death was completed and detailed by the Coroner’s Office on Monday.
“On August 16, 2026, at approximately 1:51 PM, a 911 call was received regarding a reported cardiac arrest,” its statement read. “First responders and Emergency Medical Services arrived on scene and located a female in cardiac arrest. EMS personnel initiated advanced cardiac life support measures; however, resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and the individual was pronounced deceased at 2:32 PM.”
The report noted that “at autopsy, no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.”
According to a friend who spoke to Page Six on Monday, the Heroes alum experienced severe back pain before her death due to a paralyzing injury she sustained earlier this year.
“I know she suffered earlier this year with her back,” hairdresser Erick Orellana told the outlet. “At one point, it was even hard for her to move her legs.”
Panettiere’s father, Skip, said in a statement shared with Us on Monday that his daughter was an “incredible light” who was “beloved” by her family. “A force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen,” his statement continued at the time.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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