What started as a press soundbite quickly turned into one of the internet’s most unexpected pop-culture pile-ons. Earlier this month, I Love LA star Jordan Firstman found himself at the center of a viral debate after weighing in on HBO Max’s buzzy hockey romance Heated Rivalry—and fans had thoughts.
In an interview with Vulture, Jordan criticized the show’s intimate scenes, saying Heated Rivalry doesn’t reflect how gay people actually have sex and instead caters to viewers who want to see “two straight hockey players pretending to be gay.” The comments sparked immediate backlash from fans of the series, who accused Jordan of policing queer storytelling and missing the point of the show entirely.
Two Heated Rivalry stars didn’t stay silent for long. Actor François Arnaud responded directly, writing, “Is there only one way to have ‘authentic’ gay sex on tv? Should the sex that closeted hockey players have look like the sex that sceney LA gay guys have?” Hudson Williams reshared François’s comment and cheekily encouraged followers to check out I Love LA, adding fuel to the discourse rather than shutting it down.
Almost instantly, the internet decided HBO’s PR team was in crisis mode.
Just days later, things took a turn. On December 16, Hudson posted an Instagram Story selfie smoking with Jordan, signaling that whatever tension existed might not be as serious as fans thought. François even dropped a 🔥 emoji on a repost of the photo, further suggesting the “feud” was more playful than personal.
Then came the crossover moment no one had on their 2024 bingo card. On December 17, HBO Max shared a video featuring Jordan and Hudson alongside I Love LA stars Rachel Sennott and True Whitaker, surprising shoppers with a gift-wrapping pop-up at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles. The clip used Nicki Minaj’s infamous 2015 VMAs audio—“And now, back to this bitch that had a lot of stuff to say about me the other day in the press … Miley what’s good?”—leaning fully into the joke.
Still, not everyone was convinced the drama was squashed.
Amid the chaos, Heated Rivalry creator Jacob Tierney addressed the larger conversation in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “We as queer people need to check our messaging,” he said. “The things that we decide women can or can’t do can be really exhausting. Women are allowed to write about men. They’re allowed to write about gay men.”
He continued, “The question should be, how are they writing about us? Is it with empathy? Is it with allyship? Is it with kindness? Why are we looking for enemies here instead of looking for allies?”
