Colleen Hoover's Regretting You Rakes in Millions Amid Controversy Over Son's Assault Accusations

Colleen Hoover's film Regretting You has brought in an impressive £6.15 million ($8.1 million) in its second week, narrowly edging out Universal's Black Phone 2. Yet the author's success arrives under a cloud of controversy, as her family becomes the centre of a social media storm following resurfaced allegations that her son, Levi Hoover, sexually harassed a minor.

Box Office Success

Despite lukewarm reviews from critics, Regretting You has found strong support among fans of Hoover's bestselling novels. Adapted from her 2019 book, the film explores family conflict, loss, and forbidden love through the eyes of a mother and daughter, Morgan and Clara. While audiences have praised its emotional premise, others describe it as over-stylised and lacking depth.

Reviewers noted that the film struggles to capture the nuance of Hoover's prose. Flashbacks and heavy-handed montages create confusion rather than connection, while the cast's performances have been labelled inconsistent. Still, ticket sales tell a different story. According to Exhibitors Relations, the film's global haul now stands among the top-performing romantic dramas of the year, proof that Hoover's appeal remains undeniable.

This success reflects the unstoppable momentum she has built since her self-publishing days. With over 20 million books sold and several titles, including It Ends With Us and Ugly Love, dominating bestseller charts for years, Hoover has become a household name. Yet her empire is no stranger to criticism.

Old Controversies Resurface Online

As Regretting You climbed the box office rankings, conversations online turned back to a darker chapter in Hoover's public life. In February 2022, a Twitter user known as @theonottlovebot accused Hoover's then 21-year-old son, Levi, of sexual harassment when the user was 16. Hoover initially addressed the issue privately in a Facebook group before later issuing a public statement that November.

'The things being said about my son are not accurate,' Hoover wrote. She acknowledged that Levi had made the girl uncomfortable by asking for a photo online, but insisted there had been no physical contact and that she had apologised personally once she learned of the incident. 'I held my son responsible and addressed it directly,' she said.

The apology did little to silence her critics. Many accused Hoover of minimising her son's behaviour, while others argued she was unfairly targeted because of her success. The resurfacing of these claims amid her latest film's release has re-ignited tensions.

The Wider Debate About Hoover's Stories

Beyond the controversy surrounding her son, Hoover's novels themselves have long sparked uncomfortable conversations. Critics argue that her books romanticise abuse, depicting toxic relationships as passionate love stories. Her defenders, however, claim her characters reflect flawed human experiences rather than endorse them.

In It Ends With Us, for example, Hoover drew from her mother's experience with domestic violence, yet some readers say the portrayal blurs moral boundaries. Other works like November 9 and Ugly Love similarly centre on controlling or manipulative men, a theme some fans see as honest and others as harmful.

The distinction between exploring dark romance and excusing it remains contentious. What makes Hoover unique, however, is that her novels are often marketed as mainstream romance, not as part of the darker subgenre that includes trigger warnings. This has raised questions about responsibility and reader consent in popular fiction.

Balancing Fame, Scrutiny and Responsibility

For Hoover, success has always walked hand in hand with scrutiny. Once a self-published author writing in her living room, she is now the face of a billion-dollar publishing movement driven by BookTok fandom. Her titles dominate social media, her tours sell out in hours, and her adaptations draw global audiences.

But this fame comes with an inescapable cost. Between defending her artistic choices, responding to family scandals, and confronting waves of online backlash, Hoover has become both an emblem of modern literary success and a cautionary tale about its price.

As Regretting You continues to climb at the box office, its financial success cannot fully eclipse the unease surrounding its creator.