Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams has been the target of racism and abuse online, and his co-stars and the show’s creator, Jacob Tierney, have called out this behaviour, defending the actor. Last month, François Arnaud and Williams released a statement addressing the behaviour, in particular coming from so-called fans.
“We have a non-white lead. I think that’s fuckin’ important,” said Tierney in an interview with Deadline. “We can learn a few lessons out of that: you don’t need to be making an Asian show to have an Asian lead. Hudson’s a fucking star, man.”
When Heated Rivalry hit screens last year, the show was not expected to be an international hit, and the cast had a meteoric rise to fame. With fame comes fandom and criticism, and Hudson Williams has become the target of hate online, with whole accounts dedicated to posting hateful and racist comments about the actor.
Williams appears to be handling it well, having said to Andy Cohen, “I’m pretty indifferent to all of that. There will always be crazy reactions, but those people can do what they want; I only care about those who have healthy reactions and whose prefrontal cortex is well-developed.”
Heated Rivalry’s Hudson Williams and François Arnaud share statement condemning hate comments:
“Don’t call yourself a fan if you share racist/ homophobic/biphobic/misogynistic/ageist/ ableist/parasocial/bigoted comments of any kind
None of us need your hateful “love”
We all… pic.twitter.com/7u4ngW3ijk— Pop Base (@PopBase) March 9, 2026
Hudson did admit to struggling with the sudden rise to fame on the podcast Shut Up Evan, “Connor and I have had to learn in thirty days what many actors acquire in five years”, and added, “it’s not easy to be harassed”.
The show itself deals with the issues of being a queer public figure and the effects of being in the closet, as well as the fear of coming out. Despite this, François Arnaud, an out bisexual man and cast member, has faced hate and received death threats. “I honestly wish they would just rewatch the show, because it doesn’t seem like they got its message,” said the actor in an interview with the Toronto Star.
In his interview with Deadline, Tierney also discussed the successful series and how it shows “what it means to live as a queer couple in the world and what you want out of your privacy and your public life”.
The show was appreciated for its raunchy bedroom scenes, and Tierney revealed his passion for smut with purpose: “What I was committed to was making sure that we watch this relationship evolve through the sex, because it’s one thing to just make smut—which I’m thrilled to be doing. No shame in that game,” said Tierney.
“But it would be numbing and boring to watch the same f*ck scene over and over again. Who cares at a certain point? We are certainly not starved for sex, as viewers.” And yet, fans are starving for more from the team, craving more of the Crave production.
The creatives have made it clear that they will not tolerate homophobia and racism from fans, and the much-anticipated second season of Heated Rivalry is expected to come out in the spring of 2027.
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