She's had an impressive career in Hollywood, enough so that despite recent controversy over her "abusive" boyfriend, Hayden is still able to nab acting opportunities.
But as very few fans recall, Hayden's brush with fame happened early on in her life; she appeared in a TV commercial in 1997, and that seemed to be the big break the young star needed.
After her Hess Truck commercial, Hayden started racking up roles in films like 'A Bug's Life,' 'Remember the Titans,' and 'Racing Stripes.' But she seemed to acclimate to her fame quite easily early on, at least, according to a former classmate.
A Classmate Of Hayden's Says She Was "Unbelievable"
Someone who claimed to be Hayden's former classmate took to Reddit to share their experiences with the now-celebrity. But although the classmate called Hayden "unbelievable," they didn't mean it in a good way.
In fact, the adjective was used alongside an expletive, and Hayden's reported schoolmate only had negative things to say.
For one, the anonymous Redditor noted, they recognized Hayden from the Hess Truck commercial sometime around fifth grade. Hayden, who was in fourth grade at the time, responded to a query about the commercial by cussing out the classmate and, in fewer words, telling them to mind their business.
Other Classmates Had Similarly Uncomfortable Stories
The now-deleted Reddit user also specified that associates of theirs had other experiences with Hayden Panettiere in high school. One time, they claim, Hayden went to a black and white ball at school.
A "sassy fat black girl" tried to talk to Hayden, who reportedly replied that she wasn't allowed to talk to people of... such a skin color. After that, onlookers allege, the girl punched Hayden in the face.
It sounds like a wild story, and of course, there's no real way to corroborate the tale without some kind of photographic or video proof. Or, let's say, if Hayden admitted to it.
Other commenters found the story hilarious, because apparently, there are some people who really dislike Hayden, and did so even before her recent headlines.
In fact, the Redditor's claims were reported more than ten years ago, so maybe Hayden has changed since then. Or, maybe none of the stories are true at all.
That last suggestion seems somewhat unlikely, though; another commenter on Reddit stated that they used to babysit Hayden because their younger sibling and friend, who were Hayden's age, didn't want to play with her when the families got together. Harsh.