Hayden Smith was born in Hollywood. He is of mixed Caribbean descent as his mother is from St. Lucia and his father (whose family is originally Bajan), was born and raised in Trinidad. His parents divorced early into his childhood and he lived with his mother. In elementary he was apart of the Gifted & Talented Program. He went on to become a magnet student at Hubert Howe Bancroft and [[Joseph Le Conte Middle School]}s. At age 12 his family moved to Glendale where he finished his primary education. Due to classes and partial instruction from his mother, he is fluent in French. He briefly attended Glendale Community College while penning his first novel, In Last Night's Clothes.