Hudson Williams knows how to make an entrance, and how to leave a seasoned journalist momentarily speechless.
The Heated Rivalry breakout star made his Golden Globes debut Sunday night, Jan. 11, at the 83rd annual ceremony at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. While Williams, 24, looked every bit the classic Hollywood leading man on the red carpet, it was his candid, and decidedly NSFW, answer to a simple dating question that quickly became one of the night’s most talked-about moments.
While chatting with Gayle King during the pre-show red carpet coverage, Williams was asked what his idea of a perfect first date looks like. The actor paused, clearly thinking through his response, before delivering an answer that instantly caught King off guard.
“A lot of things. A lot of things. I don’t know,” Williams began, smiling. “Good conversation and good laughing and good f——.”
The blunt honesty prompted a beat of stunned silence before King burst out laughing. The longtime journalist and broadcaster, 71, quickly recovered, replying, “I think that does sound like a good first date.”
The exchange spread rapidly across social media, with fans praising Williams’ unfiltered charm and effortless confidence, qualities that have helped turn him into one of queer pop culture’s fastest-rising stars.
Sunday night marked Williams’ first-ever appearance at the Golden Globe Awards, where he was also scheduled to present an award alongside his Heated Rivalry co-star Connor Storrie. The two have become inseparable fixtures on red carpets and talk shows over the past several months as buzz around their series continues to grow.
For the occasion, Williams leaned into timeless elegance with a modern twist. He wore a white peak-lapel dinner jacket trimmed in grosgrain, paired with a white silk evening shirt, black evening trousers and a white grosgrain cummerbund, all by Giorgio Armani. He finished the look with a Bulgari necklace, adding just enough sparkle to complement his polished ensemble.
In a separate interview on the carpet with E!, Williams gushed about the experience, saying he felt “great” in his Armani look and Bulgari jewels. He also joked that while he isn’t overwhelmed by “the grand scale” of the show’s success, he is overwhelmed by the sheer number of emails he now receives.
Williams stars as Canadian hockey player Shane Hollander in Heated Rivalry, the steamy sports romance series streaming on HBO Max. The show is based on Rachel Reid’s beloved novel of the same name and follows the intense rivalry-turned-romance between two professional hockey players. Williams and Storrie, who plays Ilya Rozanov, have helped turn the adaptation into a viral sensation through cheeky interviews, bold fashion moments and unapologetically sexy press appearances.
Earlier this week, Williams appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he offered even more unfiltered insight into the show’s intimate scenes. While demonstrating how he stretches “like a real hockey player,” Williams also explained the modesty garments used during filming.
“They call it a c— sock,” he told Fallon without hesitation, drawing loud laughter from the audience.
Fallon reacted with an exaggerated expression, joking that the episode featured “the most bleeping we’ve ever done on the history of The Tonight Show.”
“They call it a modesty garment,” Williams continued. “But by the end, they just gave up on any of them.”
Between his candid late-night confessions, viral red carpet moments and undeniable on-screen chemistry with Storrie, Williams has quickly become a standout voice in queer entertainment, refreshingly open, unapologetically honest and fully in on the joke.
And if his Golden Globes debut is any indication, Hudson Williams isn’t afraid to say exactly what’s on his mind — even if it leaves Gayle King momentarily speechless.
