I Love LA actor Jordan Firstman appears to be regretting his words after the cast of Heated Rivalry clapped back at his brutal review of the show.
Earlier this week, Firstman sat down for an interview with Vulture to promote his show I Love LA. Things took a turn when he was asked about his opinion on Heated Rivalry, and the star did not hold back. The actor bluntly called out the inaccuracies of the series’ portrayal of gay couples. He went into graphic detail about real-life intimacy, comparing it to Heated Rivalry’s sex scenes and how he believed them to be unconvincing.
Yeah, we’re going for it. It’s gay. I’m sorry, I watched those first two episodes of Heated Rivalry, and it’s just not gay. It’s not how gay people f***. There’s so few things that actually show gay sex. In the first sex scene, when we both say “that part” after c******, that’s one of my favorite moments. That is a real thing that is from my life. Me and this guy were obsessed with saying “that part” for a moment and we both came and just instinctively said it and then laughed a lot. That’s gay to me. A straight guy could not write that. They don’t know what the camaraderie of gay sex is. So, yeah, I think I definitely led the charge with that.
The actor also took a slight jab at the audience. He condemned them for wanting to watch “two straight hockey players pretending to be gay and f******,” instead of watching something that he believes has substance and understands how same-sex relationships actually work. Firstman used a movie he starred in, Rotting in the Sun, as an example of what a good movie about gay life should be. He even called his movie one of the most authentic ones that has come out within the last decade.
I thought Rotting was probably the best gay movie of the decade in terms of feeling honest about what gay life is like. But they want to see Heated Rivalry. I go to art to be confronted and to think, but a lot of people just want entertainment or to see two straight hockey players pretending to be gay and f******.
Word of Firstman’s criticism quickly reached the cast of Heated Rivalry. François Arnaud, who plays Scott Hunter in the show, responded to the I Love LA star in the comments of a Just Jared Instagram post. He shut down his claims about the series being inauthentic by rhetorically asking if there is only one way to film a realistic sex scene. Arnaud also pointed out that the way two closeted gay men would act is most likely very different from how two openly gay people would.
Hudson Williams, who portrays Shane Hollander, one of the hockey players that the Rotting in the Sun actor criticized, reposted a screenshot of Arnaud’s comment and the Just Jared post. However, Williams was much kinder in his response as he still encouraged his followers to watch I Love LA because he believed Firstman and his co-stars were great on the show and said that he also loved it.
As for Firstman, he conceded and took back his comment, even admitting that he had put his foot in his mouth. He explained he did actually enjoy Heated Rivalry and admitted that sometimes, he just can’t “shut the f*** up.” He mentioned that he would try harder to be more considerate in the future.
Heated Rivalry is now available to stream on HBO Max.
- Release Date
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November 28, 2025
- Network
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Crave
- Directors
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Jacob Tierney
Cast
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Connor Storrie
Ilya Rozanov
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Hudson Williams
Shane Hollander
