A high school photo of Heated Rivalry’s Hudson Williams with a swastika drawn on his face recently resurfaced, though his friend said, “The markings do not and have never reflected Hudson’s beliefs.”
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Hudson Williams is getting some heat over an old high school photo.
The Heated Rivalry star is facing backlash after a picture resurfaced online showing a young Williams covered in markings made by a permanent marker, including a swastika on his forehead.
A source close to Williams told TMZ that the 25-year-old was unaware of what was being drawn on him at the time of the photo, which was taken during a high school trip where graduating seniors participate in an annual tradition of doodling on each other with markers. Other sources described the incident to the outlet as a group of underage kids doing “dumb things” and said that Williams now deeply regrets the hurt he may have caused.
As an unnamed friend of Williams said, “The markings do not and have never reflected Hudson’s beliefs, values, or character.”
E! News has reached out a rep for Williams for comment but has not yet heard back.
Since shooting to fame following the success of Heated Rivalry, Williams has been an outspoken supporter of inclusion. In fact, he and his costar François Arnaud spoke out against negativity from fans who they believed were being hateful about their show.
“Don’t call yourself a fan if you share racist/homophobic/biphobic/misogynist/ageist/ableist/parasocial/bigoted comments of any kind,” they both wrote on Instagram in March. “None of us need your hateful ‘love.’”
Mathew Tsang/WireImage
The pair added, “We all respect and support and love each other and are on the same side. If you can’t accept that gtfoh [get the f–k out of here].”
Williams later added on Threads that he intentionally avoids negativity and that the statement was inspired by his costar.
“It was Francois’ idea and I helped write it!” Williams wrote. “I don’t scroll comments so I did not see the hate.”
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