Max Hovey

Max Hovey (born 1998 or 1999) is a British influencer, content creator, writer and LGBTQ+ activist and intimacy educator. He has used his platform to raise awareness of LGBTQ issues such as mental health, body image and acceptance and sex positivity. He set up the mental health blog Happy Smiley and has also written for various publications. His debut novel, No Fats, No Fems: A Guide to Queer Empathy and Unpacking Prejudice, was released in 2026. Hovey's work has been praised and he was one of the "100 LGBTQ trailblazers" highlighted in Attitude in 2021.

Life and career

Max Hovey is an influencer, blogger, content creator, queer intimacy educator, writer, author and mental health and LGBTQ+ activist. When Hovey finished sixth form at 18 years old, his Instagram profile became popular due to his pictures; however, he later reflected that he felt that the profile was a "lie" and that he started editing his pictures as he was comparing himself to others. He said of this, "When I wanted it for the wrong reasons, nothing was happening, and then when I just detached myself completely, it happens."

In the 2010s, Hovey began the blog Happy Smiley initially as a personal blog where he could dedicate his mental health activism, as opposed to his Instagram profile where he also wanted to show his other interests and parts of his personality.

Hovey's debut novel, No Fats, No Fems: A Guide to Queer Empathy and Unpacking Prejudice, was released on 19 May 2026. Of the themes in the novel, Hovey said, "Many of the mindsets I discuss in the book I admit to once having myself. I'm not saying you're a terrible person; I'm saying this is a thought process you may have, and it's not your fault, but refusing to acknowledge and unpack it is still your responsibility." He said in 2026 that he hopes to write more books, explaining, "I want to be a writer, it's the one place I can formulate my views in an unfiltered and unrestricted way." In 2025, Hovey praised the film Pillion for showcasing "the less sanitised parts of queer culture", explaining, "To see the grittier, more raw and realistic parts of queer culture, specifically kink culture, was refreshing. There's a lot that I related to. I think I cried four times." Thomas Stichbury from the magazine wrote, "Keen to (ahem) Max-imise his potential in 2022, the writer and activist wants to normalise conversations around sexual wellness and be a sex-positive voice for the queer community." Minor opined that the book succeeded due to combining "social commentary with practical empathy", and she believed that the book was released at a "charged moment" due to a recent study showing that 85% of LGBTQ+ people of colour had faced race-based sexual discrimination online. She added, "Hovey's debut is a frank, empathetic reckoning with the biases queer communities perpetuate against their own. Uncomfortable where it needs to be, and generous where it counts". Malita from Scene wrote of the novel "It's part manifesto, part reality check, taking on the exclusion, bias and internalised issues that still exist in queer communities and asking what it would really take to do better."