After Jordan Firstman's Really Critical Heated Rivalry Comments, Here's How He And The Show Quashed The Beef

Over the past few years, there has been a ton of conversation about the importance of LGBTQ+ representation in the media. That includes the power of telling authentic stories, as well as the debate about casting straight actors in gay roles. A new fold in this discourse happened recently when I Love LA actor Jordan Firstman threw some shade at Heated Rivalry's sex scenes (both shows are streaming with an HBO Max subscription). Although he and Shane Hollander actor Hudson Williams seem to have squashed the beef... and brought some A+ social media content in the process.

Heated Rivalry's love scenes are a big reason why the series went viral, and has been so popular since its premiere. While I love that we have a smutty show for queer folks, not everyone has enjoyed it as much. Case in point: Firstman's viral comments about the show.

What Jordan Firstman Said About Heated Rivalry

Jordan Firstman is known to audiences thanks to his scene-stealing roles in English Teacher (streaming with a Hulu subscription) as well as I Love LA. He's also got an irreverent social media presence, which is where he first claimed that Heated Rivalry's love scenes didn't feel like "real gay sex." During an interview with Vulture he expanded those thoughts, offering:

These comments quickly went viral online, and inspired Heated Rivalry actor François Arnaud to directly respond. A potential feud between the two HBO shows that got the world talking began, but luckily, it seems like they've already reached a resolution. And we have both the network and Nicki Minaj to thank.

How Firstman And Hudson Williams Worked It Out In The Remix

Fans first noticed some goodwill happening between the shows when an image of Jordan Firstman and Shane Hollander actor Hudson Williams smoking a cigarette together landed online. The potential beef was further squashed when the pair wrapped holiday gifts at an HBO event, and posted an A+ video where they lip-synced to Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus' viral interaction from the 2015 VMA Awards. Check it out below:

Honestly, I love it. This give and take between the two pop stars has been endlessly quotable in the decade since they went viral, and I think recreating it was the perfect way to show that there's no hard feelings between Firstman and the Heated Rivalry cast.

For his part, Hudson was encouraging folks to watch I Love LA even in the midst of the faux feud. Luckily for fans, both shows are still airing on HBO Max. So why not do a double feature of these two series, both of which feature gay love scenes?

I Love LA has one more episode to go and Heated Rivalry has two that'll air on HBO Max as part of the 2025 TV schedule.