What to know
- Heated Rivalry stars and creators met Prime Minister Mark Carney at Prime Time for a panel celebrating the hit series and its impact.
- Carney praised the show for reflecting Canadian values and its unapologetically queer storytelling, noting its significance at a time when U.S. pressure pushed for the story to be toned down.
- The panel highlighted Heated Rivalry’s growing international reach and how the series is reshaping ideas of masculinity in sport by centring queer love and vulnerability.
- The event went viral after Williams and Carney posed for an iconic photo — complete with Williams’ leg on the Prime Minister.
Canada’s favourite TV star right now and the prime minister met for the first time in a moment that has since gone viral.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Mark Carney and stars from the hit Crave series Heated Rivalry attended the Canadian Media Producers Association’s (CMPA) annual Prime Time conference in Ottawa.
The stars were at the conference for a surprise panel titled “In Conversation with Heated Rivalry.” Participating in the panel were star Hudson Williams, who plays Shane Hollander, Sophie Nélisse (Rose), and creators Jacob Tierny and Brendan Brady, amongst a few other guests.
In the panel, the prime minister gave a speech praising the show for reflecting Canadian values and its queer story. He expressed his joy that the series is Canadian after the U.S gave pressure to tone down the story.
The show has since had an international impact, challenging traditional ideas and views of masculinity in sport and instead showing queer love and relationships.
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The panel also included curated clips and behind-the-scenes insights, so fans could see how creative leadership works in the tv industry.
In a now viral moment from the conference, Williams was filmed giving Carney a gift: the fan-favourite Canadian Olympic fleece worn by Williams in the show, which will be sold as official merch soon. After getting the fleece, the duo had a photo opp with Carney telling Williams to “do the leg thing,” prompting Williams to lift his leg on Carney while hugging each other.
@nowtoronto The duo we didn't know we needed: Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams and Mark Carney. #HeatedRivalry #HudsonWilliams #PrimeMinister #MarkCarney ♬ original sound – Now Toronto
That iconic moment sparked instant reactions online. On Williams’ most viral TikTok post, comments include “Donald could neverrrrr” and “That’s MY leader.”
Another fan highlighted their love for Williams, saying he’s “Such a silly goose ☺️❤️I Love Hudson! ❤🥰,” with a GIF of Hudson gushing.
Check out the Heated Rivalry series on Crave.
