Spencer Hastings is introduced as the eldest child of Peter and Evelyn Hastings, a wealthy, high‑achieving couple in Rosewood. Early seasons treat Peter’s death as a closed chapter, leaving his role in Spencer’s life largely symbolic. The show’s later seasons revisit the Hastings lineage, adding layers of secrecy and suspicion that keep viewers guessing about who really raised Spencer.
The turning point arrives in season six, when a hidden journal and a series of flashbacks reveal that Peter’s brother, John, had a brief affair with Evelyn. The affair sparked rumors, but the series never directly names John as the biological father. Instead, the writers confirm that Peter is the legal and biological father, ending fan speculation with a definitive, albeit emotionally complex, resolution.