Heated Rivalry’s U.S. invasion expands with Hudson Williams’ late-night debut on Jimmy Fallon
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Actor Hudson Williams got down on all fours to demonstrate a hockey stretch during an interview with host Jimmy Fallon on Jan. 7.NBC/Getty Images
It sounded like the Canadian invasion at 30 Rockefeller Plaza last night as Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams made his late-night debut.
The Kamloops-born actor now known to millions as hockey star Shane Hollander was only in the third slot of the night on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
But as Fallon came out at the top of the show and announced the names of those appearing that night, there was just polite cheering for first two guests, the comedian Chelsea Handler and British actress Sophie Turner.
At the mention of Williams, however, the studio audience erupted into screams more reminiscent of Beatlemania.
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Host Jimmy Fallon and actor Hudson Williams.NBC/Supplied
Indeed, there was a mass of rabid Heated Rivalry fans who couldn’t get in to The Tonight Show’s filming location – one of the subjects of Fallon’s monologue, which was front-loaded with jokes about the Crave gay hockey romance (it streams on HBO Max in the United States).
“I’m serious, right now there’s 1,000 women outside 30 Rock, like, ‘You can call me Venezuela and take me whenever you want,’” Fallon said, channeling his country’s dangerous resurgent imperialism into a tepid, consent-blurring punchline.
After he arrived on stage to more jubilation from the audience, Williams confessed he was still getting used to his new status as sex symbol and star.
“I just kind of turn into a deer in headlights every time,” he told Fallon, cracking open a can of Canada Dry ginger ale, a nod to his Canadian character’s drink of choice.
“These freaks outside,” Williams said, pointing to the audience and eliciting more screams, “I’m not used to that.”
Fallon carefully avoided the word “gay” and focused on Heated Rivalry’s appeal with women in his opening monologue.
In his interview with Williams, the comedian continued in the vein of euphemism and allusion, with a lot of straight-man signalling, pulling at his tie, covering his face.
When Williams talked about the modesty garment he wore in his sex scenes and mimed where it goes, Fallon jumped in: “You don’t have to do that.”
This is why Heated Rivalry is a Canadian hit; the powers that be in American pop culture, for the most part, still think doing “that” on screen would turn viewers off, rather than on.
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The hockey romance was still the No. 1 show on Crave as of Jan. 7.NBC/Supplied
And those are the good guys: A video went viral yesterday of Fox News commentator Jesse Watters dismissively describing the mother who was shot dead by ICE in Minneapolis as “a self-proclaimed poet from Colorado with pronouns in her bio.”
Williams’s appearance on Fallon was framed around gently comedic gay panic rather than such outright homophobia – as the Canadian actor taught Fallon a hockey stretch that involved both of them getting down on all fours.
“This is basically where I was 90 per cent of filming,” Williams said, to more theatrical squirming and giggling from The Tonight Show’s man-child host.
Opinion: Heated Rivalry confirms it: Hockey has made its revival in Canada
If you’re hate-reading articles about Heated Rivalry in order to jump in the comments and say you’re sick of hearing about it, I’m sorry to tell you – but the show only seems to be gaining steam as Hollywood tries to capitalize on its organic popularity after the holiday slumber.
The hockey romance was still the No. 1 show on Crave yesterday, nearly two weeks after its finale, and likewise remained the top show on HBO Max in the U.S., Australia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan, according to FlixPatrol.
Jacob Tierney’s artful and sexy six-part series, adapted from Rachel Reid’s novel, will only gain more popularity in 2026 – and is next set to hit the U.K. and Ireland on Sky and the streaming service NOW this weekend.
Opinion: Why Canada needs to produce more shows like Heated Rivalry
Williams and American co-star Connor Storrie, who plays the Russian player Ilya Rozanov, are slated to be presenters at the Golden Globes on Sunday, Deadline reported yesterday. Then, Storrie will make his late-night debut on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Monday – where I suspect the interview will be a little more direct and substantive.
For those of us who live in countries in the Western hemisphere that aren’t the United States of America, Donald Trump’s “Donroe Doctrine” is not much of a joke. At the moment, we have mostly soft power to defend our sovereignty from the President’s stubby grasp.
Heated Rivalry is doing the work to keep the idea of Canada as a distinct place in front of world right now – a diversity-positive crack in American cultural hegemony that couldn’t have come at a better time, allowing for a brief positive association to the word “ice” at the end of a discombobulating day.
Jimmy Fallon’s opening monologue jokes about Heated Rivalry
“Not to jump on the trend, but NBC announced that for the winter Olympics the U.S. hockey team is going to play shirtless.”
“Yes, Heated Rivalry is huge. It’s that show that Mike Pence watches while breathing into a paper bag.”
“I read that Hudson Williams is from Canada. Today, Ryan Reynolds and Ryan Gosling were like the sexy Canadian torch has been passed.”
