Fans have expressed disappointment after recently resurfaced photos appeared to show Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams with a swastika drawn on his face.
The images, which began circulating on X after being posted on 7 June, appear to show a teenaged Williams at a party with several marker drawings scribbled across his face and clothing. One of the drawings on his forehead appears to resemble a swastika.
Williams has not yet directly addressed the images publicly. However, TMZ has reported that sources close to the actor say he “deeply regrets” the photos and the hurt they have caused.
What’s going on with Hudson Williams?
On 7 June, a photo of Williams as a teenager began circulating on X.
The image shows Williams posing between two young women at what appears to be a party. All three are wearing shirts covered in marker pen scribbles, including names and symbols, and all three also have drawings on their faces.
On Williams’ forehead, one of those drawings appears to be a swastika.
The swastika was originally a sacred symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, but was later misappropriated by the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler as a symbol of Aryan supremacy and antisemitism.
The Nazi swastika is typically tilted compared with the original sacred symbol, and it is this deeply offensive version that appears to have been drawn on Williams’ forehead.
At the time of publication, Williams has not made a direct public statement about the resurfaced image.
However, TMZ reports that a source close to the actor said: “The markings do not and have never reflected Hudson’s beliefs, values, or character”.
According to TMZ, the photo shows Williams as a teenager taking part in an annual “campout” tradition in his Canadian hometown, which reportedly involved underage drinking, partying and “covering one another’s shirts, faces, and bodies with Sharpie drawings”.
The source claimed Williams was unaware the offensive symbol had been drawn on his face, and that it was the result of other intoxicated teenagers trying to provoke shocked reactions with their scribbles.
They added that while it was a case of teenagers doing “dumb things”, the behaviour was “completely inexcusable”, and that Williams understands that today.
TMZ further reported that sources close to Williams say he “deeply regrets” the hurt and disappointment caused by the photo.
“We’re told he does not condone or support the offensive markings that were drawn on him and recognises the seriousness of the symbol seen in the image,” the outlet reported.
Williams has become one of the breakout stars of Heated Rivalry and has previously spoken out against hatred and bigotry among fans.
In March, following his rapid rise to fame, he posted on social media discouraging toxic behaviour from so-called fans.
“Don’t call yourself a fan if you share racist/homophobic/biphobic/misogynistic/ageist/ableist/parasocial/bigoted comments of any kind,” he wrote.
“None of us need your hateful ‘love’.”
The resurfaced image has left many fans waiting to see whether Williams will address the matter directly.
