Hudson Williams’ friends explain missing context as ‘disturbing’ pictures from school surface

Hudson Williams, one of the breakout stars from Heated Rivalry, has found himself entrenched in controversy after pictures emerged from his high school days.

This time last year, Hudson Williams was a minor-league actor working full-time. Heated Rivalry obviously changed that, catapulting his fame to new heights alongside his co-star, Connor Storrie. Though Hudson and viral have gone hand in hand for months, this time, it’s not about his relationship status or lack of media training.

Instead, Twitter is full to the brim with a few pictures of Hudson from his high school days. In them, he’s wearing a blue polo with writing scrawled across it and his skin. Though most of the writing was names, people clocked a swastika and the word AIDS on both the actor and his friends.

Credit: HBO

Considering a gay show made Hudson famous, people are incredibly angry.

Someone wrote on Twitter: “Why is Hudson Williams, as a straight man, having AIDS written on himself as a form of joke?”

Another person wrote: “A swastika (Nazi), an upside-down cross (blasphemy/intolerance), AIDS written on the body (ableist)… I had no idea that Hudson had stooped to this 🙁 what sadness.”

“Do I think Hudson is racist? Nope. What I do think is that he’s a wasian boy who grew up in the whitest part of Canada and was a dumb teenager (like everybody else). But he needs to ditch those friends and get a better PR team,” someone else said.

Hudson Williams’ friends addressed the controversy

Though Hudson Williams is yet to publicly address the controversy, his friends did share his alleged reaction with TMZ.

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Apparently, the pictures were taken during an annual “campout” tradition where Canadian teens would get together for a night of underage partying. It typically entails Sharpie drawings on clothes and skin, the friend claimed.

The friends told TMZ that Hudson was unaware of the scribbles at the time, which were done by friends to elicit laughs and reactions. They described the situation as drunk kids doing “dumb things”, something he “deeply” regrets.

the neck apparently says “aids” too pic.twitter.com/ZyPXPDxfkJ

— . (@franswaarnaud) June 7, 2026

“The markings do not and have never reflected Hudson’s beliefs, values, or character,” they said.

The sources further claimed that Hudson is aware of the controversy being spread online. He reportedly “understands” the hurt and disappointment caused, and does not “condone or support the offensive markings.”

Hudson Williams has been approached for comment.

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Featured image credit: Instagram/Social media