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In another universe, Margaret Cho was Hudson Williams‘ onscreen mother!

During a recent appearance on the I Never Liked You podcast, the Emmy nominee revealed that she turned down a role in a new series because it was slated to shoot in Canada, and Cho was worried that her criticism about the current administration could lead to her being “detained at the border.”

The show in question was none other than breakout hit Heated Rivalry.

“Last year, I got a pilot script for a show that I really loved, but it shot in Canada. I was, like, so scared because I’m so vocal about hating ICE and hating this administration,” she said. “I was like, I will get detained at the border and I will be put in ICE detention if I go. And I was like struggling over it, and I had to talk to all these people about it, and I was super upset, and I said no. And it was Heated Rivalry.”

Cho revealing that she turned down the gay hockey drama prompted the podcast hosts, Matteo Lane and Nick Smith, to audibly gasp. When asked if she still tuned in to watch the debut season, Cho said she did watch and “hosted some rewatch parties,” but that the decision “kills me.”

“Like, it kills me,” the actress said, continuing, “And it’s all because of Trump.”

However, Cho did admit that when she watched Heated Rivalry and saw Williams in the role, she saw what could have been her onscreen son.

“I watch it, and I’m like, ‘That’s my child! Hudson is my child,'” Cho said. “Of course, the woman who played the part did a great job and she’s wonderful and iconic, and everybody in it is the perfect [fit] — it came out so perfectly.

With a second season of Heated Rivalry on its way, Cho didn’t confirm or deny her potential involvement with the show. “I asked them, we’ll see,” she said.

Hailing from Canadian streamer Crave and airing on HBO Max in the U.S., the series centers on a fictional hockey universe based on popular romance books by Rachel Reid. Letterkenny alum Jacob Tierney created, wrote and directed the series.

Heated Rivalry focuses on two rival professional players — Canada-born Shane Hollander (Williams) of the fictitious Montreal Metros and Russia-born Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) of the fictitious Boston Raiders — as they navigate a near-decade-long situationship-turned-relationship. The show has made certified stars out of both Storrie and Williams.

In the months since the show’s premiere, the pair have presented at the Golden Globes, served as torchbearers in the 2026 Olympic Torch Relay, attended the Met Gala and each booked post-Heated Rivalry roles. THR previously reported that Storrie was in talks to join the ensemble cast of Molly Gordon and SNL writer Allie Levitan’s A24 comedy Peaked, which appears to have just recently wrapped filming.

Next up, Williams can be found starring alongside Carrie-Anne Moss, Noah Reid and Clark Backo in the half-hour Canadian drama Yaga. The series is based on the play by Kat Sandler and is a contemporary reimagining of the myth of Baba Yaga set in a coastal town.