Hudson Williams Urges Fans to Stop “RPFing" —  But What Does It Mean?

Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams has a message for fans, and it’s not a great one for certain people. Hudson shared a post on Threads on May 5, 2026, saying he’s tired of the RPFing, literally writing, “Rpfing gotta stop yall.”

But with new viral slang terms constantly being added to the internet’s virtual glossary, a lot of people aren’t exactly sure what he’s talking about. So we’re here to break it down and clear things up so everyone can respect his wishes.

The slang term RPFing used by Hudson Williams in a Threads post shared in early May 2026 refers to “Real Person Fiction” (RPF), which is a genre created by fans that involves real celebrities being placed into fictional stories or similar contexts.

So it would be like creating a fan-made clip depicting Hudson and Connor Storrie as a couple in real life, maybe going on dates or just enjoying life together, since they shared an on-screen romance in Heated Rivalry. That would be an example of RPF.

So when Hudson says, “Rpfing gotta stop yall,” he’s basically asking fans to stop posting fanfiction or content portraying him and Connor as a couple outside of the show, when they aren’t one in real life.

Essentially, Hudson is laying out his boundaries and asking fans to respect them, not only because some actors prefer not to mix on-screen relationships with real life (like how Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni would probably prefer).

Despite playing a gay hockey player in Heated Rivalry who has a secret romantic relationship with Ilya Rozanov (played by Connor), Hudson himself isn’t gay and has been off the market for years. In fact, he and Katelyn reportedly began dating around 2020, per People.

While they’ve been together for a while, it wasn’t until March 2026 at the Vanity Fair afterparty following the 98th Academy Awards that Hudson and Katelyn made their public debut as a couple on the red carpet.

So it’s understandable why Hudson would want the RPFing to stop, since it pushes a narrative of who fans want him to be versus who he actually is in real life.

Naturally, Hudson’s post got a ton of praise and respect from commenters for coming straight out and telling fans to step back and stop with the “fake weird scenarios of him and his best friend,” as one user put it.

But there were also plenty of others who got upset with Hudson for trying to set boundaries and tell fans what they should and shouldn’t do.

“The simple fact that people are upset with Hudson setting boundaries just shows everything WRONG with the fandom,” one person wrote, calling attention to those who were bothered by Hudson’s call to stop RPFing.

But another was quick to write, “Every time you post or talk about your girlfriend, you always mention or insert Connor too because you know damn well the shippers are crazy and would come at you for ruining their fantasy… it’s too late now to act innocent.”

Meanwhile, others gave a stark warning that if the RPFing doesn’t stop, Hudson and Connor might stop sharing glimpses of their friendship altogether, leaving everyone out of the loop on what they’re up to.