In the latest episode of Red Table Talk, Jada Pinkett Smith, her mother, Adrienne Banfield Norris, and guest host Kelly Osbourne welcomed actress Hayden Panettiere to the table where the topic of the day was all about alpha males. Panettiere also opened up about her past drug and alcohol addiction, postpartum depression, and relinquishing custody of her daughter.
During the episode, Panettiere recalled some of the most horrifying times of her life, including the first time, she was introduced to drugs at the age of 16.
Panettiere explained she was “a little low-energy” on a red carpet when an adult from her team gave her an unknown pill.
“It was, ‘here, take one of these, it’s a happy pill, it’ll give you energy,’ so I didn’t think of it at the time as a bad thing or a drug,” she said. Thinking back, she compared the “happy pill” to that of “an Adderall.” She revealed that the team member acquired the prescription stimulant from Mexico.
According to a past interview with PEOPLE, Panettiere continued to use drugs and alcohol to cope with life, including the postpartum depression she suffered after giving birth to her daughter Kaya. The Heroes actress would go on to get treatment but ended up having to relinquish custody of her daughter. Unbeknownst to her, she gave custody to her ex-husband, boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko. She said he didn’t understand her mental health issues.
Panettiere said signing the custody papers was the “heartbreaking thing I’ve ever had to do in my life.” As noted in PEOPLE, she stated “that the way the custody decision was made was “very upsetting” because she was unaware of the custody agreement until Kaya was already in Ukraine.
“I was gonna go work on myself, and I was gonna get better, and when I got better that things could change, and she could come to me, and I could have my time with her,” she explained. “But that didn’t happen.”
She explained that her previous partner not being available for support was a big part of her hitting rock bottom.
“I respect him for being such a driven human being. He’s very positive. Athletes, they’re just very driven. That mentality is just pretty incredible,” she said. “But he’s also a man that doesn’t have any sisters. So he really thought that I was doing it to myself and just that I could choose to snap out of the postpartum depression.”
“He thought It was a matter of willpower,” said Norris.
Panettiere revealed that the boxer’s email signature states, “If you control your mind, you control everything,” which she said frustrates her because it’s “so not true.”
Pinkett Smith then gave her perspective on dealing with men of that mindset.
“I had to learn that men with “that alpha male spirit don’t pay attention to feelings.”
The host then spoke about her emotional release from dealing with those same feelings would come in the form of using alcohol, and abusive relationships. But learning to speak openly about not feeling supported or feelings of anger has provided some avail.
Pinkett Smith’s comfort in speaking openly has come with some scrutiny as many criticized her for her interactions with her husband, Will Smith.
Before the Oscar altercation with comedian Chris Rock. and the slap that was heard around the world.
Pinkett Smith left her husband in tears at the table, combing through the details of her entanglement with R&B singer August Alsina and criticized his need to stroke his ego by planning elaborate parties for her.
We’re glad she has learned how to deal with her feelings but some of the conversations brought to the Red Table have left her looking like the ‘alpha.’
