Actor Critiques Heated Rivalry's Gay Sex Scenes

Jordan Firstman, an actor in HBO's comedy series I Love LA, sparked debate over the portrayal of gay intimacy in the hit drama Heated Rivalry after criticizing its sex scenes as inauthentic during an interview published Thursday. The comment, made to Vulture, came amid the show's rapid rise to popularity and its announcement of a second season the following day.

Firstman, who plays Charlie Cohen in I Love LA, contrasted a casual sex tape storyline in his show with the intimate moments in Heated Rivalry, the HBO Max-licensed series that follows two professional hockey players in a secret romance. "Yeah, we're going for it. It's gay," Firstman said of his own series. "I'm sorry, I watched those first two episodes of Heated Rivalry and it's just not gay. It's not how gay people fuck. There's so few things that actually show gay sex." He described a specific post-sex exchange in I Love LA as drawn from his personal experiences, adding that such camaraderie eludes straight writers. Firstman also addressed online speculation about the sexuality of Heated Rivalry's leads, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, stating, "A gay guy would say it. I don't respect you because you care too...