‘Heated Rivalry’ star reveals closeted football, hockey players DM him 

Hudson Williams, a Canadian actor, has revealed that closeted professional athletes have been privately reaching out to him following his role in the sports romance series Heated Rivalry.

Williams, 24, stars as Shane Hollander in the Crave/HBO Max drama, which centers on two rival professional hockey players whose fierce on-ice competition hides a long-running secret relationship.

Adapted from Rachel Reid’s bestselling Game Changers novels, the series explores themes of identity, pressure, and love within the hyper-masculine world of elite sports, and has quickly gained a devoted international audience since its release.

Speaking with Andy Cohen on Andy Cohen Live, Williams explained that the show’s impact has extended far beyond television, prompting real-life athletes, including hockey, football and basketball players, to contact him anonymously to share their own stories of being closeted in professional sports.

“They’re reaching out to Rachel, our author, who will then kind of relay these lovely anonymous emails. And sometimes they’re just reaching out privately through like Instagram.

“And those ones are the ones that really just connect with you and go, oh, so this is a fun show. It’s celebratory, but also sometimes it’s just hitting people right,” he shared.

Rachel Reid, the author of the original Game Changers book series, has long been praised for her nuanced portrayals of queer athletes and the emotional realities of navigating sexuality in professional sports.

The messages Williams described arrive at a time when openly gay male athletes remain extremely rare in professional sports.

Following Williams’ comments, fans took to Instagram to share their emotional reactions to the revelations and to the show itself.

“Hurts my heart so bad, but I am so so glad these stories are being told,” wrote Kaleigh Tompkins, while Ian added, “Hudson Williams you are amazing.”

Another viewer commented, “This show truly is special,” as others reflected on the deeper significance of the series. “This is the impact of powerful storytelling where one feels seen. Incredible,” one user shared.

Clara echoed the sentiment, writing, “Absolutely heartbreaking. It’s a lot to carry on the shoulders of young people but also in general. Love should be easy and free. Thankfully they’re so close as a cast, I’m sure they lean on each other. What’s the alternative when doing such an incredible job.”

Malene summed it up simply, saying, “And that’s why the the show is so important .Thank you to everyone involved in it.”