Heated Rivalry Author Rachel Reid Announces New Book Sequel

“Connor is very expressive. Ilya is kind of like this Slavic rock,” the 24-year-old—who  presented alongside Connor, 25, during the awards ceremony—continued. “Then Shane is also like a dense brick. So, you have the Slavic rock and the dense brick.” 

And though the show’s depiction of a queer love story has touched the hearts of many, it has also enabled many closeted LGBTQ+ athletes to reach out to the show’s actors. 

“The people who reach out, somewhat anonymously, who are like, ‘I’m a professional player still, and I’m still in the closet,’” Hudson said in a Jan. 7 clip from his appearance on Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM show Radio Andy. “They’re [also] reaching out to Rachel, our author, who will then kind of relay these lovely anonymous emails.”

He added, “Sometimes they’re just reaching out privately through Instagram, and those ones are the ones that really just kind of hit you and go, ‘Oh, so this is a fun show, and it’s celebratory, but also sometimes it’s just hitting people right in the nerve.’”

And while the Heated Rivalry stars dressed to impress at the 2026 Golden Globes—with Hudson wearing a white Armani suit and Connor opting for a black Saint Laurent ensemble—keep reading for a look at more of the ceremony’s best looks…