Face swastika and 14 million views. How queer drama star Hudson Williams fell victim to "cancellation" because of a school photo

Actor Hudson Williams, who played the lead role in the popular series about gay hockey players, *Heated Rivalry*, has found himself at the center of a massive scandal. A photo of him from ten years ago has surfaced online, showing a swastika drawn on his face. We explain how this “cancel culture” works, why it’s driven not only by advocates for justice but also by disappointed fans, and what the actor himself has to say about it.

What happened?

In early June 2026, photos from a teenage party began circulating on social media, showing 25-year-old Canadian actor Hudson Williams. In the photo, Williams is posing with female classmates, and a swastika has been drawn on his face with a black marker; the word “AIDS” is also visible on his body. In just one weekend, two posts featuring these images garnered over 14 million views, sparking a massive campaign to “cancel” the actor.

Why does he have a swastika on his forehead? https://t.co/OXDue54Hd1 pic.twitter.com/pwGqi2IHC7

— ☔️ (@unsexuaIIy) June 7, 2026

How does Williams himself explain this?

At this time, the actor has not made an official public statement, but sources close to him have told the media that he deeply regrets the existence of this photo. According to the defense, the photo was taken during a traditional school camping trip (“campout”), where intoxicated teenagers were drawing on each other with markers. It is claimed that Williams did not know what exactly was being drawn on his face, and that these images never reflected his views or character.

Why is context particularly important here?

There are several details in this story that make the situation more complicated than a standard accusation of sympathizing with Nazism:

Hudson Williams is half-Korean. As a result, he is accused of using symbols associated with an ideology that historically sought to exterminate Asian peoples, among others.

Before the photo scandal, the actor had been subjected to racist attacks by some of his fans for several months, but those incidents did not generate such widespread attention.

Williams rose to fame for his role as Shane Hollander in the HBO Max series *Heated Rivalry*—an adaptation of novels about the romance between two hockey players. The series has a very active fan community, some of whom (“shippers”) reacted aggressively to the news that the actor has a girlfriend in real life. For many of them, the “Nazi photo” became a convenient, legitimate excuse to attack their idol.

How are the industry and fans reacting?

Opinions are divided. Some social media users believe that “no excuse along the lines of ‘he was young and foolish’ can justify an open display of hatred.” Others point out that “people are ready to dig up any dirt on anyone who has achieved success,” while ignoring the real criminals in the industry.

The show’s creator, Jacob Tierney, came to the actor’s defense, asking why the community is looking for enemies instead of allies. Previously, the show’s actors had already faced demands that they come out publicly, which contradicts the very idea of the right to privacy.

CBD?

Williams has opted for a strategy of silence, which many view as a refusal to participate in the “ritual of public self-flagellation.” In a previous interview, he spoke quite harshly about toxic fans, stating that he is only interested in the opinions of people who have “a well-developed frontal lobe.”

Despite the scandal, work on the second season of “Heated Rivalry” continues. This case serves as yet another example of how “cancel culture” is transforming from a tool for fighting for equality into a mechanism for controlling and monetizing collective outrage.