Hudson Williams is facing backlash over an old photo that resurfaced earlier this week. The photo in question shows the Heated Rivalry star, now 25, as a teenager, with a swastika drawn in Sharpie on his forehead, among other designs.

Although Hudson has not publicly addressed the controversial photo, a friend of the actor told TMZ,  “The markings do not and have never reflected Hudson’s beliefs, values, or character.”

According to the outlet, sources close to the Canadian described the high school incident as just a group of teens doing “dumb things” while under the influence. They also explained that the students in Hudson’s small town participated in an annual “campout,” which involved drinking, partying and covering each other’s faces and T-shirts in various Sharpie sketches.

"hudson williams stuns in newly shared photo" pic.twitter.com/N4oQVhUxmI

— hannah 🐳 (@hanfromdastreet) June 7, 2026

People close to Hudson told TMZ that he is aware of the “hurt and disappointment the photo has caused and deeply regrets it.” The outlet further noted that he “does not condone or support” the swastika image or any offensive imagery.

After rising to super stardom practically overnight from his breakout role as Shane Hollander in Heated Rivalry, Hudson and his castmates Connor Storrie, Robbie G.K. and François Arnaud saw their social media following explode. However, they also came across online trolls, some of whom evidently shared racist comments about Hudson, who is of Korean descent on his mother’s side.

In March, Hudson and François, 40, shared a joint Instagram Stories statement, calling out the cruel online chatter.

“Don’t call yourself a fan if you share racist/homophobic/biphobic/misogynist/ageist/ableist/parasocial/bigoted comments of any kind,” the co-stars wrote. “None of us need your hateful ‘love.’ We all respect and support and love each other and are on the same side. If you can’t accept that gtfoh.”

Heated Rivalry premiered in November 2025 and is based on Rachel Reid‘s Game Changers book series. The show became one of the most talked-about series over the past year, and episode 5 of season 1 even ranked neck and neck with a Breaking Bad episode for highest rated TV episodes of all time on IMDb.

Season 2 is expected to premiere in April 2027.