Hayden Panettiere, who passed away at age 36, had connections across nearly every corner of the entertainment industry during a career that began when she was still a child. One of the more unexpected was a friendship with a woman who would eventually become part of the “Real Housewives” universe.
Years before Diana Jenkins joined the cast of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” she and Panettiere crossed paths in Hollywood and developed a friendship despite being at very different stages of their lives.
Panettiere later reflected on their relationship in her 2026 memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” offering a glimpse into how the two women first became part of each other’s lives.
Hayden Panettiere and Diana Jenkins Met Years Before RHOBH
Panettiere’s connection to Jenkins dates back to the late 2000s, long before Bravo viewers knew Jenkins as a Beverly Hills Housewife.
Their worlds crossed through “Room 23,” the 2009 coffee-table photography book Jenkins created with photographer Deborah Anderson. The project featured portraits of a number of major names in entertainment, including Panettiere, George Clooney, Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Bynes.
Panettiere was approximately 19 years old when she became friends with Jenkins, who was nearly three decades older.
In “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” Panettiere reflected on both their age difference and the place the friendship occupied in her life as she entered adulthood.
“Diana was almost thirty years older than me, and while I’d always been mature for my age, it’s impossible to overlook an age difference that large,” Panettiere wrote.
“It was a weird friendship for sure, but as I stretched into my newfound adulthood, I had to see which relationships suited me, on my own terms,” she continued. “At that moment, Diana seemed like she could give me everything I needed.”
Panettiere and Jenkins were also photographed together during that chapter of their lives. The pair attended the “Room 23” launch party in West Hollywood in February 2009, posing together as they celebrated the release of the project.
For Panettiere, it was another connection formed during an extraordinarily busy period of her career. By then, she had already spent years working in Hollywood and had become widely known for her role as Claire Bennet on NBC’s “Heroes.”
Diana Jenkins Later Joined ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’
It would be more than a decade before Jenkins became a familiar face to Bravo fans.
Jenkins joined “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” for Season 12, which premiered in 2022. Her time on the show placed her alongside Kyle Richards, Lisa Rinna, Erika Jayne, Garcelle Beauvais, Dorit Kemsley, Sutton Stracke and Crystal Kung Minkoff.
In January 2023, Jenkins announced that she would not return for another season, making her tenure on the franchise a one-season run.
By then, her friendship with Panettiere stretched back well over a decade.
Panettiere’s decision to write about Jenkins in her memoir offered readers another look at a life filled with relationships that extended far beyond the people fans might immediately associate with the actress.
Their connection also predates Jenkins’ “Real Housewives” chapter by years. Long before reality television introduced Jenkins to Bravo viewers, she and Panettiere had already crossed paths through “Room 23” and formed a friendship during one of the defining periods of Panettiere’s young adulthood.
Diane pimped her out. Room 23 was a book of Hollywood escorts