'Heated Rivalry' star Hudson Williams teaches 'Tonight Show' host Jimmy Fallon hockey stretches. Todd Owyoung/NBC Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment The Tonight Show went all in on Heated Rivalry Wednesday night as breakout star Hudson Williams made his late night debut. The show's in-studio audience went wild when host Jimmy Fallon mentioned the 24-year-old actor. Fallon and The Root's Tariq Trotter, also known as Black Thought, got into a heated, some pun intended, argument about the true feelings and emotions of Heated Rivalry's main characters, Shane and Ilya, before Williams came out to assure them they were both right. Fellow Tonight Show guest Chelsea Handler also brought up the actor, joking that she was "in a throuple with the guys from Heated Rivalry." Related Stories TV 'Heated Rivalry' Star Hudson Williams Says Closeted Professional Athletes Have Reached Out General News GLAAD Media Awards: 'Heated Rivalry,' 'I Love L.A.,' 'Stranger Things' and The Hollywood Reporter Score Nominations The pandemonium started before Fallon even had the chance to speak with the actor, with social media posts popping up, showing people waiting overnight for a chance to see him on the show. Fans crowded NBC's 30 Rockefeller Plaza building as he made his way in and out of the building. pic.twitter.com/uLaUZp7GcV- Hudson Williams Updates (@hudsonwupdates) January 8, 2026 Williams took the stage, cracking open a ginger ale and throwing on some glasses - a nod to his character Shane Hollander on Heated Rivalry - and lovingly joking about the "freaks outside" who waited for him to appear on the show when asked about how he's taking it all in. Williams said the challenging part of the series was playing up the rivalry between his character and his co-star and onscreen love interest, Ilya Rozanov, played by Connor Storrie. "That bit is one of the harder elements because we became besties right away," he said of Storrie. When asked about what fans can expect for season two, the Canadian actor was pretty tight-lipped but shared a morsel of what's to come. "There are some meanies. There are some big baddies," he said. "If season one is an internal battle, season two is an external battle." Williams also showed the late night host the much-talked-about hockey stretching exercises, making the late night host get on the ground with him for a live demonstration. Fallon asked where he went and Williams told him to join him face-to-face for the stretch. Hudson Williams teaches Jimmy a Shane Hollander-inspired hockey stretch 😳 #HeatedRivalry #FallonTonight #HudsonOnFallon pic.twitter.com/u7IcdYv9rZ- The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) January 8, 2026 "This is the best it gets," Williams joked to the host, adding, "Carson didn't do this," before critiquing his form. The actor then made Fallon go to another part of the stage to do the next step of the stretch, waving and cheekily saying, "Hi, mom," as he got into the stretch. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Live Feed 'The Pitt' Renewed for Season 3 at HBO Max Live Feed Tony Dokoupil's 'CBS Evening News' Debut Doesn't Move the Ratings Needle Much Live Feed CBS Quietly Renames 'Yellowstone' Sequel 'Y: Marshals' to Just 'Marshals' Hudson Williams 'Heated Rivalry' Star Hudson Williams Says Closeted Professional Athletes Have Reached Out Live Feed 'Saturday Night Live': Finn Wolfhard, Teyana Taylor, Alexander Skarsgard Debut as Hosts in January Tyler Perry Tyler Perry's 'Sistas' Returns for Season 10: When and Where to Stream It Online Live Feed 'The Pitt' Renewed for Season 3 at HBO Max Live Feed Tony Dokoupil's 'CBS Evening News' Debut Doesn't Move the Ratings Needle Much Live Feed CBS Quietly Renames 'Yellowstone' Sequel 'Y: Marshals' to Just 'Marshals' Hudson Williams 'Heated Rivalry' Star Hudson Williams Says Closeted Professional Athletes Have Reached Out Live Feed 'Saturday Night Live': Finn Wolfhard, Teyana Taylor, Alexander Skarsgard Debut as Hosts in January Tyler Perry Tyler Perry's 'Sistas' Returns for Season 10: When and Where to Stream It Online