Books
Authors Defend Ali Hazelwood Over ‘Hunger Games’ Drama: Full Breakdown of the Controversy
It’s been nearly two decades since The Hunger Games came out, but the Peeta versus Gale debate still riles readers up — which author Ali Hazelwood just learned firsthand.
We know what you’re thinking: How in the world does Suzanne Collins’ dystopian series overlap with Hazelwood, who’s spent the last several years establishing herself as a titan in the romance genre? The Love Hypothesis author made an appearance at the LA Festival of Books in April, during which she sat on a panel with fellow authors Meghan Quinn and Nana Malone. For reasons unknown to us, the conversation careened toward The Hunger Games — and more specifically, who was the better love interest for Katniss.
Hazelwood had a hot take, which we’ll delve into below, and fans flocked to her Instagram account to give their two cents about her comments.
What is the Ali Hazelwood controversy?
“Controversy” may be an extreme label for the situation, since Hazelwood simply shared an opinion about a fictional love interest. Long story short: She’s Team Gale. In a TikTok clip, the author defends her choice by saying, “If you bring up, ‘Oh, he killed her sister,’ I don’t care,” she said, getting a laugh out of the crowd. “Peeta is useless! He couldn’t do anything.”
“If you want to do #CancelAliHazelwood, I will create many fake accounts,” joked moderator Taylor Capizola, who argued Peeta’s case.
@escapetovelaris Who would have thought conversations about Peta could still stir controversy ?! 🤣 @Ali Hazelwood @Meghan Quinn . . . #alihazelwood #deepend #thelovehypothesis #hungergames #meghanquinn #romancebooks #thehungergames #booktok #fantasybooktok ♬ original sound – bookmarkedbytina
As mentioned, some readers had strong opinions about her take. According to Hazelwood’s friend and fellow author Kate Goldbeck, they took the discussion to her Instagram account, specifically a joint post that announced Hazelwood and Lyn Liao Butler would be attending the Kauai Writers Conference. The comments have since been turned off, so there’s no telling exactly what they said, but a few X posts give a bit of clarity.
Did Ali Hazelwood delete Instagram?
When we checked for the first time on on June 16, Hazelwood’s Instagram appeared to be deactivated, and that’s still the case. She does seem to still be active on Facebook, though.
Goldbeck, who has touched base with Hazelwood since she left Instagram, cleared up why the author left the platform. “ALI IS FINE! She wants you to know that she’s ‘not crying in [her] cupboard’ (must be an Italian thing?),” she wrote on Instagram Threads. “She simply wanted to end the comments on the collab post [about the Kauai Writers Conference] and the distraction. So we can all go back to whatever we were doing because if there’s one thing Ali doesn’t like, it’s people talking about how great she is.”
Who has defended Ali Hazelwood over The Hunger Games drama?
Alongside a number of fans, several authors have jumped to defend Hazelwood, including Jodi Picoult and Layne Fargo. The latter gave her input on Instagram Stories, deeming the controversy “the pettiest book drama I’ve seen in a while.” Cheekily, she added: “P.S. I’m Team Gale too. DEAL WITH IT.”
Picoult gave a lengthier statement in support of Hazelwood on TikTok, beginning by commending Hazelwood’s dedication to lifting up lesser-known authors on her platform. “The world is literally on fire,” Picoult said. “To which I say, listen: We authors really enjoy for the most part our interactions with readers, but when you come at us like that, what’s wrong with you? We are human too. This is kind of why people can’t have nice things.”
@jodipicoultAuthors are real, fictional characters are not.♬ original sound – Jodi Picoult
What do you think about all of the Hazelwood drama? Are you Team Peeta or Team Gale? Let us know in the comments below!
