Heated Rivalry star Connor Storrie stopped by Saturday Night Live to introduce host Olivia Rodrigo before she performed a new, unreleased song from her forthcoming album.
The 26-year-old, clad in a denim-on-denim ensemble, was met with cheers from the audience as he introduced Rodrigo’s new track “Begged” during the May 2 episode of the sketch comedy show. The “Drop Dead” singer served as the host and musical guest for the episode; Storrie made his own SNL hosting debut earlier this year, helming the Feb. 28 episode.
Rodrigo sat upon a swing as she sang the mint track, which will be featured on her third studio album, You seem pretty sad for a girl so in love.
“All that I want is to know undoubtedly that you just have eyes for me,” the sang at the very top of the track. “All that I want is to sit here silently and watch movies on TV.”
Earlier in the night, the three-time Grammy Award winner performed her new song “Drop Dead,” and was similarly introduced by a sparkly special guest in Debbie Harry. Both tracks hail from her upcoming record that will drop June 12.
While Storrie did not appear in any of Rodrigo’s sketches on Saturday night, the two both notably made their debuts as SNL hosts on season 51.
For his own hosting gig, Storrie brought out his Heated Rivalry co-star Hudson Williams for a sketch and to help him introduce that week’s musical guest Mumford & Sons. The internet had been speculating throughout the week if the 25-year-old Canadian actor would join his onscreen beau for a guest appearance. The pair have repeatedly spoken about how close the experience of making Heated Rivalry has made them.
Storrie’s appearance is likely to send fans of his into excitement for more than just the glimpse on television. There’s been no shortage of chatter online about whether Storrie or Williams would be making an appearance at the MET Gala, set to take place Monday night. Over the last several months, Storrie has landed several coveted luxury brand ambassadorship gigs including Saint Laurent and Tiffany & Co. The actor and his stylist, James Yardley, recently graced the cover of The Hollywood Reporter’s Power Stylist issue for their work together.
The actor’s SNL debut came just months after his breakout role in the queer hockey drama, Heated Rivalry. 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 (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 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.
Crave renewed Heated Rivalry for a second season early into the show’s first season run. HBO Max has confirmed it will continue to air the series. The show is slated to shoot the second season this summer — Tierney said it would shoot in August on a recent TV appearance. It’s aiming for a spring 2027 release, Bell Media and Crave told THR in a statement.
Reid announced earlier this year that she’ll be publishing her seventh book in the Game Changers series, which Heated Rivalry and its sequel The Long Game belong to. The book, Unrivaled, will be the next chapter in Shane and Ilya’s story. She announced earlier this week that she’d be pushing the book to a 2027 release date.
