Over the last few weeks, Heated Rivalry has received acclaim from both fans and critics alike. Many have praised this spicy LGBTQ+ hockey romance, and there’s been a lot of talk about how it depicts the sexual relationship between Russian hockey player Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) and Canadian hockey player Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams). However, I Love LA star Jordan Firstman made headlines as he heavily criticized the sex scenes in this new series, and now, a few of the stars have responded.
What I Love LA’s Jordan Firstman Said About Heated Rivalry’s Sex Scenes
Both Heated Rivalry and I Love LA feature sexual scenes, and as both series have been airing on the 2025 TV schedule, there’s been a lot of talk about them. So, with that being said, Jordan Firstman, who plays Charlie in I Love LA, was asked during an interview with Vulture about a scene he had involving a sex tape.
The journalist noted that the sequence was “legitimately casual,” and then said that it was “such a contrast” to the "posed" sex scenes in Heated Rivalry. In response, the actor criticized those scenes in the book-to-screen adaptation of Rachel Reid’s novel, explaining:
Yeah, we’re going for it. It’s gay. I’m sorry, I watched those first two episodes of Heated Rivalry and it’s just not gay. It’s not how gay people fuck. There’s so few things that actually show gay sex. In the first sex scene, when we both say “that part” after cumming, that’s one of my favorite moments. That is a real thing that is from my life. Me and this guy were obsessed with saying “that part” for a moment and we both came and just instinctively said it and then laughed a lot. That’s gay to me. A straight guy could not write that. They don’t know what the camaraderie of gay sex is. So, yeah, I think I definitely led the charge with that.
As the interview went on, Firstman spoke a lot about being gay and telling stories about gay people. When the journalist noted that the movie Rotting was the best gay film of the decade when it came to “feeling honest about what gay life is like,” the I Love LA actor brought up Heated Rivalry again, saying:
But they want to see Heated Rivalry. I go to art to be confronted and to think, but a lot of people just want entertainment or to see two straight hockey players pretending to be gay and fucking.
The journalist then noted that neither Storrie nor Williams has revealed their sexualities publicly, with Heated Rivalry showrunner Jacob Tierney saying there’s no reason to either. Firstman pushed back on that, saying:
Then you know what? I am one of those bitches who says, 'Then say it.' A gay guy would say it. I don’t respect you because you care too much about your career and what’s going to happen if people think you’re gay.
Now, after all of that made headlines right around the time Episode 4 of Heated Rivalry premiered, two of the hockey romance’s stars responded.
How The Heated Rivalry Cast Responded To The Criticism
In the aftermath of Firstman’s comments, François Arnaud, who plays Scott, a gay hockey player who was the focus of Episode 3, responded. In the comments section on Just Jared’s Instagram post about these criticisms, he posted two questions about there being more than one way to portray gay sex on TV. The Scott actor wrote:
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?🤔
After that comment, Hudson Williams, who plays Shane, reposted it alongside the graphic from Just Jared about the viral criticism on his Instagram story. Along with adding the questioning comment his co-star wrote, the Heated Rivalry co-lead complimented Jordan Firstman’s show, writing:
But truly go watch ‘I Love LA’! Jordan and the cast are great!!
Right now, both these highly talked about series are available to stream with an HBO Max subscription. Also, both I Love LA and Heated Rivalry have been renewed for second seasons. So, as this discourse about them continues, we’ll keep you updated.
Meanwhile, to keep up with both projects, you can catch new episodes of Heated Rivalry every Friday, while I Love LA drops new episodes every Sunday at 10:30 p.m. ET.
