Hoffmann was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York. Her mother, Viva (born Janet Susan Mary Hoffmann), is an Actress, Writer and former Warhol superstar, and her father, Anthony Herrera, was a soap opera actor best known for his role as James Stenbeck from As the World Turns. Viva and Herrera were estranged shortly after Hoffmann's birth; she was raised by her mother at the Chelsea Hotel in New York. Her father did not have a significant presence in her life. Hoffmann's birth is documented in Brigid Berlin's The Andy Warhol Diaries. An entry dated January 10, 1982, two days after Hoffmann was born, says that a friend of Warhol's telephoned Warhol and told him that they were going to the Chelsea Hotel to see Viva and her new baby.