Heated Rivalry Star Hudson Williams Breaks Silence on Girlfriend Rumors

Hudson Williams would like you to stop trying to CSI his dating life. The 24-year-old Canadian actor behind hockey golden boy Shane Hollander on Heated Rivalry (streaming on Crave and HBO Max) pushed back after a fresh round of girlfriend rumors and reminded everyone that his private life is not part of the show.

How we got here

• On Deuxmoi's Deux U podcast, the hosts leaned into the idea that a lot of viewers are watching Heated Rivalry for the central romance between two male hockey players.
• From there, fans started connecting dots that may not exist, floating that Williams was dating a tattoo artist who supposedly did matching 'Sex Sells' tattoos for him and his costar, Connor Storrie.
• Williams took to social media, clearly annoyed. He said he has grown quite unfond of the gossip and made it plain that his personal life is off-limits and irrelevant to the work he does or the chemistry he has with Storrie on screen.

Williams draws a line

Williams also addressed the broader privacy thing in the press, stressing that fame does not equal full access.

'I think there's never a question for me, when I would dream of becoming in the public eye, that I would want just a level of privacy.'

That quote is from his chat with Deadline, and it mirrors what he said online: enjoy the performance, not his personal business.

Representation matters, but speculation doesn't

The Williams–Storrie chemistry is a big reason Heated Rivalry works, and yes, it has sparked endless questions about both actors' sexuality. Neither of them has addressed that directly, and both have been consistent about keeping their real lives separate from the characters.

Williams has also been clear about why telling this story matters. He told Vulture he feels honored to bring a character to life that makes people feel seen and understood, and that responsibility outweighs any fixation on who he is or is not dating.

Context check

If you are just catching up: Williams plays Shane Hollander, while Connor Storrie portrays Russian rival Ilya Rozanov. The show sells a sharp, slow-burn romance on the ice, and the actors want the focus to stay there. Storrie has echoed Williams' stance, keeping his personal life out of the spotlight so the conversation stays on Shane and Ilya's on-screen dynamic.

Short version: the rumor mill can spin itself dizzy. Williams is asking fans to leave the detective work at the door and watch the story he's actually telling.