Trigger warning for sexual assault

The team from Heated Rivalry made a surprise appearance in New York City yesterday at the Global Summit for Women’s Mental Health. Representing the series: Rachel Reid, who wrote the books, showrunner Jacob Tierney and his producing partner Brendan Brady (in an excellent red cardigan), co-producer Jayme Alter Wilson, and cast members Ksenia Kharlamova and Christina Chang. Oh yeah, and of course, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie.

Season two is currently in production so for all of these people to break from work and travel together to NYC, imagine the logistics involved in this kind of coordination. But also it gives us a sense of the importance of their appearance: to announce the Irina Foundation, a new non-profit inspired by a character in the novel – Irina is Ilya’s mother who died by suicide. That’s why this was the right event to launch, a forum on women’s mental health specifically.

During the panel discussion, Jacob shared how the foundation came together; that out of the wild popularity of the show, they were getting approached to support a variety of causes and they took their time to figure out how best to use the attention and connect their collective philanthropic efforts with the themes of the story that made them all famous: inclusivity and mental well-being.

Of course season two was also part of the conversation as Hudson and Connor reflected on their dynamic and the magic between the two of them that made Heated Rivalry pop off.

As we have seen over the last not-even-a-year, in real life Hudson and Connor are almost the reverse of Shane and Ilya. Not exactly the reverse, but close enough in that if there is a more reserved one between the two of them, it’s Connor. Hudson, like Ilya, is often the wildcard. In public he will often respond spontaneously, and sometimes even on social media. Which is what he did a few days ago, reacting to Jane Doe’s lawsuit against Cornell and the seven men who allegedly raped her.

Hudson may not have written an essay, but this was his way of expressing his disgust over how so many people failed Jane Doe. And his disgust and his rage are important. Because as so many women have said since time… and as Florence Pugh noted on Instagram earlier this week… we should be hearing from men about the f-cksh-t of their fellow manfolk, men should be actively participating in conversations about rape culture and holding other men accountable. That’s what didn’t happen in that frat house and in those group chats.

Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Emily Kaplan, Rachel Reid, Connor Storrie, Brendan Brady, Jacob Tierney, Hudson Williams, Jayme Alter Wilson, Christina Chang attend the Kate Spade New York Global Summit on Women's Mental Health 2026, September 30, 2026

Photo credits: Jason Lowrie/BFA.com/Shutterstock

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