Hudson Williams wearing glasses on the phone in Heated Rivalry. .
Plenty of HBO shows got the world talking, and the book-to-screen adaptation Heated Rivalry has definitely joined those ranks. The Canadian series (which is streaming with an HBO Max subscription) has become a sensation, making household names out of stars like Shane Hollander actor Hudson Williams. He recently rocked glasses while appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, leading fans to freak out thanks to a connection to the steamy series.
Williams has been dealing with sudden fame thanks to the success of Heated Rivalry, which was on full display when appearing on The Tonight Show. There were a bunch of subtle references to the show during his interview with Fallon, including being served ginger ale and seemingly wearing Shane’s famous glasses. The latter definitely got fans’ attention, as many took to Twitter as a result. Check out one such response below:
While Williams wearing glasses isn’t groundbreaking, the fact that they’re seemingly the same ones that his character Shane wears in Heated Rivalry turned the heads of the passionate fanbase. Those specs were a plot point during the first season, with his lover Ilya seemingly turned on by them, and asking his secret lover to wear them during phone sex. This is just one of Heated Rivalry’s steamy scenes, and is also why the fandom noticed when he rocked them on The Tonight Show.
Fans were invested in Ilya and Shane starting with their first sex scene, with folks following the years-long relationship between the two closeted Hockey players. Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie’s chemistry while doing press has also captured the hearts of viewers, which is likely why something like the actor wearing glasses has gotten so much attention. Another tweet pulled a clip from Heated Rivalry, where Ilya asks Shane to keep the specs on. As you can see below:
Hudson Williams put on the glasses when Jimmy Fallon showed him a photo of him and Storrie, so it’s not like he had to read something. That, combined with the ginger ale, makes me think that he rocked them purposefully to titillate fans who tuned in to see the interview.
Heated Rivalry was renewed for Season 2, with Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie teasing fans by saying it’ll be “hotter, wetter and longer”. The two of them know that sex sells, so much so that they got matching tattoos with those two words. Season 1 ended with Shane and Ilya finally committed to being in a relationship, even if they’re keeping it a secret for now. And it should be interesting to see how this changes the narrative whenever it returns.
The first season of Heated Rivalry is streaming in its entirety over on HBO Max. It’s currently unclear when Season 2 will premiere, but some fans are crossing their fingers that production starts soon so it can be part of the 2026 TV schedule.