Jacob Tierney is proud to have a “f---ing star” in Hudson Williams.

Heated Rivalry creator addresses toxic fandom: ‘We have a non-white lead. I think that’s f---in’ important’

Jacob Tierney is proud to have a "f---ing star" in Hudson Williams.

By Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at **. He left EW in 2022.

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April 8, 2026 12:29 p.m. ET

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Jacob Tierney, Connor Storrie, and Hudson Williams. Credit:

Harold Feng/Getty

*Heated Rivalry* creator Jacob Tierney is addressing the toxic side of the show's fandom while praising one of his breakout leads as a "f---ing star."

For all of the hockey romance's popularity, there's also been plenty of toxicity and racist comments within its fandom, some of it targeting Canadian star Hudson Williams, who is half-Korean.

"We have a non-white lead. I think that’s f---in' important," Tierney declared to *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 f---ing star, man."

Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie in 'Heated Rivalry'.

Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max

In March, Williams and some of his costars all posted the same message on their Instagram stories: "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 respect and support and love each other and are on the same side. If you can't accept that then gtfoh."

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*Heated Rivalry* stars Williams as Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov, rival professional hockey players who develop a romantic relationship behind the scenes. The series, made by Canadian streamer Crave and distributed on HBO Max in the U.S., launched Williams and Storrie from obscurity into stardom.

"We didn't expect any of this attention or reaction from a public that might not exist at all," Tierney said. "We've learned a lot [since the show aired], and there's a lot to think about moving forward in terms of the fandom and all that comes with it, negative and positive."

A second season is currently in development, based on *The Long Game*, the next Shane-Ilya book in Rachel Reid's *Game Changers* series.

But Tierney hinted to *Deadline* that he might break apart the novel, which is more than 400 pages long. “Who said I’m doing it all? There’s a lot of material," he told the outlet.

Season 2 of *Heated Rivalry* is expected to begin filming this summer, with a release date slated for 2027.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Show”