Did Connor Storrie Shade Donald Trump? 'Heated Rivalry' Star Stuns SNL Audience With Hudson Williams

Connor Storrie made his Saturday Night Live hosting debut in New York on Saturday, Feb. 28, stepping into a show that had already spent its cold open circling Donald Trump, then using his own monologue to steer the night somewhere else entirely. The 26-year-old Heated Rivalry actor arrived to loud cheers, skipped the Trump-centric opener, and quickly turned his first minutes on that stage into a mix of horny self-mockery, hockey in-jokes and a pointed bit that nodded at a recent Trump-related clip without letting it swallow the room.​

Storrie's booking has been treated as a marker of how fast Heated Rivalry has travelled from niche hit to mainstream talking point, with his appearance framed as the latest in a run of high-profile moments for him and the series. In his monologue, Storrie even admitted he cried when he got the gig, then leaned into the version of himself audiences think they know, the one from a show where the camera is not shy and neither is the fandom.​

For those seeking the essential facts before the noise, they are straightforward. Storrie hosted. He brought elite American hockey players on stage. He took a swipe at an awkward Trump-adjacent moment involving the men's team and the women's team, then ended the segment with everyone smiling, as if that had been the whole point.

The Dig Hidden in Plain Sight

Storrie opened with a joke that acknowledged what people really know him for. 'Now, some of you may have witnessed all of me on my show, Heated Rivalry,' he told the crowd, calling it a series that has taught people about hockey and, in his words, taught 'a lot of straight women that their sexuality is actually towards gay men.'​

The monologue then did something smarter than chasing applause lines about Trump directly. Storrie brought out Quinn and Jack Hughes from the US men's hockey team, and Hilary Knight and Megan Keller from the US women's hockey team, letting the athletes carry the temperature shift. The men said they had not seen the show, while the women reassured Storrie that they had, which landed like a small corrective delivered with a grin.​

Then came the moment people are already translating into headlines. The monologue referenced a video in which members of the men's team were shown laughing alongside President Trump as he suggested the women's team would have to join the men at the White House. Knight and Keller, playing it breezy, got off lines like 'It was supposed to be just us, but we thought we'd include the guys too' and 'we figured we'd give them a little moment to shine,' before noting that the men's team last won more than 40 years ago while the women's last win was two Olympics ago.​

Did Connor Storrie shade Donald Trump? He did what SNL often does at its best, allowing the joke to land on behaviour and ego, and letting others on stage sharpen the point.

The Night's Other Plot Twist

The episode's second roar arrived later, when Storrie's Heated Rivalry co-star Hudson Williams turned up in a sketch set at the 30 Rock skating rink. The cameo mattered because fans had spent the week guessing whether Williams would appear, and because the show understands that modern celebrity runs on the tension between a planned reveal and a supposedly spontaneous one.​

In the sketch, Storrie and members of the SNL cast shouted about someone finally showing up, then Williams slid onto the ice into Storrie and the audience erupted. Williams also later joined Storrie to announce musical guest Mumford and Sons together, another small nod to the fact that the pairing itself has become part of the sell.​

NBC had pushed Storrie hard ahead of the episode, releasing two teasers and a blooper reel, including one clip featuring an 'accent duel' and another where he pretends to make out with cast member Sarah Sherman alongside Mumford and Sons. Offstage, the business end of the story is moving just as quickly as the fandom end, with Heated Rivalry already renewed for a second season by Canadian streamer Crave, and HBO Max confirmed to continue airing it in the US.

The second season is slated to shoot this summer, with Jacob Tierney, who created, wrote and directed the series, saying on a TV appearance that production would begin in August, and Bell Media and Crave telling The Hollywood Reporter it is aiming for a spring 2027 release.