Frontman Caleb Followill was working on new music last spring and about to join his bandmates on a European tour when he broke his foot playing with his kids one night before bed.

“I thought I was in better shape than I was and so I was going to hurdle the couch to make the epic tag,” he says, laughing. Instead, he got a foot caught in the couch, stumbled and went down. “It was a gnarly, gnarly break.”

Followill was upset, feeling he was letting everyone down. After a few days of wallowing in self-pity, he picked up a guitar. What came out surprised him: It was stripped bare, like the music that he and his drummer brother Nathan had written before there was a four-time Grammy Award-winning Kings of Leon.

So out went the four or five electric-leaning songs that he and the band had been exploring. In quickly came a clutch of new stripped-down tunes, more melancholic than bombastic, about gratitude and family. The 13-track album is called “O My Beloved” and it's out Nov. 6.

“The songs just took on a different meaning, and so all the songs that we had been working on, they no longer were as attractive to me,” says Caleb Followill. “I feel like just the whole temperature changed around us. And we realized that we’re going to make something a little more significant.”

What did the rest of the band think? They had to change course, too, after all. “I’m happy with the direction,” says Nathan Followill. “I think it might be my kids' favorite record.”

The first single is a scene of domestic bliss

The first single, “My Whole World,” out Thursday, is a perfect taste of the way the band was now leaning. It poured out of Caleb Followill after the whole tag accident.

While he and bandmates — brothers Nathan and Jared and cousin Matthew Followill — called off their European tour, and Caleb's family was preparing for a cruise, he was glancing at their countdown on the wall when these words came out: “29 days 'till our ship comes in/We’ll be together again.”

“My Whole World” is a scene of domestic bliss — with references to “peanut butter pie” and a “pin oak tree” and tossing a football around while babies coo. “I’m grateful / Each day for / My whole world,” he sings. A video for the single features old home footage of the boys growing up — Christmas mornings, goofing around and swimming holes.

Caleb Followill says he was nervous to debut the acoustic-led song to the other guys, in part because he didn't normally play his guitar that way and because the lyrics made him emotional.

“I wasn’t in control of it. The words were just coming out,” he says. He thought of his mom dying and all the feelings he had put aside as a busy dad and rock and roller for the past quarter century.

“We have already surpassed anything we ever imagined we could do and we’ve built something that’s so beautiful,” he says. “So, as opposed to having a 25-year anniversary where we kind of put out the greatest hits or something, I thought, wouldn’t it be beautiful to make an album that is looking back on all of the things that we’ve done and appreciating how we got here?”

Bassist Jared Followill says the band was free to explore this new direction since the new album would be the first time they would be producing themselves.

“The songs just really started to pile up one after another and it became apparent that there could be something there and let’s just dive in,” he says. “No hesitation from us.”

‘O My Beloved’ includes song inspired by childhood

One album highlight is the joyful, laid-back “KOYSAR” for “Kick Off Your Shoes and Run,” in which Caleb Followill uses his childhood memories of romping around with his siblings to inspire his own kids.

“Kick off your shoes and run/Don’t let them turn you away/Your life is better when/You have something to say,” he sings.

“All I could picture was our childhood, running through sprinklers and my kids and those little simple moments,” he says. “You’re always trying to teach your kids something, and I feel the best way to do that is through your experience and through the mistakes that you’ve made and how you’ve gotten to where you are.”

On “Such a Pretty Thing,” he writes tenderly about a high school sweetheart, singing, “I like to lay in the light of the moon/And think about the summer that I had with you.”

“That was the kind of songs that we wanted to write, and then we started the band and kind of went a different direction. But on this album, I feel like we kind of got back to that,” says Caleb Followill. “We finally got to do it on album 10.”

The title track is unconventional, too. It's a musical interlude that has the title on it, a tiny, lo-fi slice of Caleb Followill singing and playing captured on a smartphone in the wet and cold outside the band's Nashville studio with the sound of a train rumbling by.

“It turned out really, really cool and so we kept it,” says Jared Followill.

Locke captioned the post: “Summer of friends, fun, and duck tattoos in Ibiza.”

The post was reported by Queerty on September 9 and by Attitude and PinkNews on September 10.

The three reports independently describe the design as a small duck placed under or near Locke’s armpit.

Neither of the reports identifies the tattoo artist, gives a confirmed explanation for the duck design or states definitively that it is Locke’s first tattoo.

Who appears in the carousel

The photographs include Locke with fellow Heartstopper actor Tobie Donovan and with Dylan Mulvaney.

Another image shows Locke taking his mother on a ride aboard the Orient Express.

The carousel also includes an image of Locke with Rob Jetten, the Netherlands’ prime minister.

The reports do not provide dates or locations for every photograph in the carousel, so the available coverage does not establish that each image was taken in Ibiza.

What Locke’s caption does establish is that Ibiza was associated with the “duck tattoos” referenced in his description of the summer.

A small personal update during a major career year

The tattoo reveal arrives as Locke moves beyond the role that made him internationally known.

Locke played Charlie Spring in Netflix’s Heartstopper, the LGBTQ+ coming-of-age series based on Alice Oseman’s graphic novels.

The feature-length conclusion, Heartstopper Forever, was released on Netflix in July 2026 and brought Charlie and Nick Nelson’s story to an end after three seasons.

Locke served as an executive producer on the film alongside his co-star Kit Connor.

The film follows Charlie and Nick as they face university and the possibility of a long-distance relationship.

According to Attitude, Locke described completing the franchise as feeling like “graduation.”

That transition has also included work in the Marvel television series Agatha All Along, in which Locke played Billy Maximoff, also known as Wiccan.

Upcoming screen work

Locke is scheduled to appear alongside Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman in Elsinore, a film about the final years of actor Ian Charleson.

He is also due to appear in the thriller Black Church Bay.

Both films were reported as scheduled to feature at the 2026 London Film Festival.

PinkNews separately reported on September 4 that first-look images had been released for Black Church Bay, describing it as a queer mystery thriller starring Locke and Tom Cullen.

The film was described as centering on the dark unraveling of a relationship between a teacher and a student.

No source reporting the Ibiza post connects the duck tattoo to any of Locke’s film or television roles.

What is confirmed

The confirmed development is limited but clear: Locke shared a summer photo carousel, referred to Ibiza and “duck tattoos” in its caption, and displayed a small duck design beneath his arm.

The available reporting does not confirm when the tattoo was made, who designed it, why Locke chose a duck or whether he has other tattoos.

For now, the Ibiza reference remains a brief personal note in Locke’s summer retrospective, while the wider significance of the post lies in its glimpse of the actor’s friendships, family time and life after Heartstopper

The clip, released ahead of the series’ appearance at the BFI London Film Festival, shows Scott playing a therapist who meets Ethan, a character portrayed by the show’s creator and star, Leo Reich.

The exchange begins as a therapy session but turns into an explicitly sexual encounter, including a kiss and other provocative physical contact between the two characters.

In the scene, Scott’s character tells Ethan, “You’re just a hole for daddy,” before the interaction escalates. The clip also includes the therapist telling Ethan that he is “valid and worthy etc.”

The material has been described by the outlets covering it as not safe for work because of its sexual language and imagery.

The Series’ Premise

It Gets Worse is a six-part comedy created, written by and starring Reich.

The series follows Ethan, Abi and Sam, three university friends and housemates whose lives are disrupted when they face eviction from their London home.

The BFI describes the programme as a comedy about friendship, housing, work and relationships, with the three central characters confronting the pressures of early adulthood in London.

The principal cast includes Reich, Emily Fairn and Olive Gray. Scott appears as one of the production’s guest performers, alongside Lena Dunham and other cameo actors.

Channel 4 commissioned the series from A24, which is producing the programme for the British broadcaster. The production consists of six episodes of approximately 30 minutes each.

The title presents a deliberate contrast with the familiar phrase “It Gets Better,” which has been used by LGBTQ+ organisations and advocates to communicate hope and support to LGBTQ+ young people.

The available descriptions frame the series as a comedy about young adults dealing with housing insecurity, unsatisfying work and complicated relationships rather than as a programme specifically about Andrew Scott’s character.

Scott’s Role and the Online Response

Scott’s appearance is a cameo rather than a leading role in the series. His character is introduced as Ethan’s therapist, although the scene quickly moves beyond the boundaries normally associated with a professional therapy appointment.

Coverage of the clip has focused on its sexual content and on Scott’s presence in the scene.

Mashable reported that the clip features Ethan discussing his distress with the therapist before the therapist kisses him. The outlet characterized the clip’s online circulation as evidence that the scene had quickly become a prominent talking point around the programme.

PinkNews identified Scott as an openly gay actor and noted that his previous screen work includes All of Us Strangers. Scott’s role in It Gets Worse is fictional, and the available reporting does not indicate that the scene reflects the actor’s personal experiences or views.

The scene’s depiction of a therapist engaging sexually with a client is presented as part of the show’s comic fiction. The sources reviewed do not report any allegation of misconduct involving Scott or the production.

Festival Premiere and Release Plans

It Gets Worse is scheduled to premiere at the 70th BFI London Film Festival on October 14, 2026.

The festival is scheduled to run from October 7 through October 18. The festival programme identifies the series as a new work from Reich and highlights cameos by Scott and Dunham.

The first three episodes are scheduled to screen at the festival. Channel 4 is expected to make the series available in the UK after the festival screening.

In Canada, the series is scheduled to stream exclusively on Crave as a Crave Original. The sources reviewed do not identify an announced U.S. distributor or release date.

The newly released clip therefore offers an early indication of the show’s deliberately provocative tone, while the broader series is being positioned as an ensemble comedy about friendship, housing and precarious adulthood.

The image was included in a narrated video shown on the arena’s jumbotron alongside footage and commentary directed at progressive political figures and the political left.

The display took place at the American Airlines Center, where the Republican event was being held on September 9 and 10.

Reporting did not identify a separate explanation from Republican organizers for why the photograph was selected or how it was intended to advance the video’s broader political message.

The photograph was not presented as a live appearance by Piker, and available reporting described it as an image sourced from his social-media content.

Piker’s Reaction

Piker later watched footage of the convention display during a livestream and reacted with surprise and laughter.

“No f---ing shot,” Piker said while reacting to the footage, according to Reuters.

Newsweek reported that Piker also said, “They f**king posted the meat pic!” while watching the image appear behind the convention stage.

Piker subsequently shared footage of the moment on social media and referred to the image as his “meat pic” in an accompanying post.

The reports described the photograph as showing Piker in underwear, with part of the image blurred, rather than as a fully nude image.

Piker is a political commentator and livestreamer whose public work has focused heavily on U.S. politics and progressive political issues.

The Grindr Connection

Reports of interruptions affecting Grindr users in Dallas emerged as the Republican convention began, creating a second, related online storyline.

The San Antonio Current reported that Downdetector, a service that collects user-submitted reports of problems with online services, showed Dallas as the largest location for complaints about Grindr at the time of its reporting.

Social-media users quickly connected the reported service problems with the Republican gathering, and jokes about the convention circulated online.

The available reports did not establish that convention attendees caused the reported interruptions.

They also did not establish that Piker was using Grindr, that he had a Grindr account, or that he was involved in any reported outage.

Any claim that the Grindr reports were caused by people attending the convention remains unverified.

Context and Verification

The Republican gathering was described as an unusual midterm convention held in Texas before the 2026 midterm elections.

The Guardian reported that Republicans assembled in Texas as the party sought to rally supporters and address political concerns surrounding President Donald Trump and the approaching midterm elections.

The use of Piker’s image placed a recognizable online political personality inside a convention video otherwise aimed at presenting a broader partisan message.

The episode also illustrates the difference between a verified public event and the interpretations that follow it online.

The convention displayed the photograph, and Piker publicly reacted to that display; the available reporting does not prove a connection between the event and Grindr’s reported Dallas interruptions.

As of September 10, reporting had not documented a formal response from the Republican National Committee explaining the image’s inclusion.

They’re changing — at least for the moment — the name of the popular series, which just won the Emmy for outstanding animated program.

In a statement posted on the show’s Instagram page, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone say they are “changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA.” The statement comes as Trump, escalating his trade war with Canada, has declared he's renaming Lake Ontario to be known as “Lake America” in the United States.

It coincides with changes in popular maps

The move by the two satirists, a week before the 29th season premiere of “South Park” — er, “SOUTH AMERICA” — also takes aim at Apple and Google, which have adopted Trump’s changes, as well as the show's own parent company.

Apple has relabeled Lake Ontario to “Lake America” for U.S. users of its Maps app, following cartographic competitor Google.

“Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA. We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount — a Skydance Capitulation."

The hugely successful “South Park” airs on Paramount-owned Comedy Central. Parker and Stone have taken aim at Paramount’s merger with Skydance. But in July 2025, Paramount announced a five-year renewal deal with Parker and Stone, including streaming rights for previous “South Park” seasons on Paramount+.

During his second term, Trump has also signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” even though parts of it lie in international waters. Apple and Google maps also followed suit in that case.

Also in line with Trump's enthusiasm for renaming things — after America, or after himself — he suggested this week that New Mexico be renamed “New America,” though it was uncertain whether that was serious.

He also arranged for the Kennedy Center to add his name to its building, a move that has triggered much controversy.

The show's creators have needled Trump before

The decision to rename the show is not the only jab Parker and Stone have recently taken at Trump.

“You finally got your Emmy,” the show posted on Instagram along with a cartoon depiction of the president — with his pants down, surrounded by the show's characters. A recent storyline on the show depicted Trump as romantically involved with Satan.

Canada, too, has not gone unnoticed by the show. In 1999, its foray onto the big screen, “South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut,” depicted Canadians as scapegoats of a national parental movement to stop children from swearing — which they blamed on comedians from Canada named “Terrance and Phillip.”

The movie was structured like a Broadway musical, and one of the key “show tunes” it presented was called “Blame Canada.” Its overall point: People can find a way to blame anyone for anything. “It seems that everything's gone wrong since Canada came along,” one character sang.

Other targets of the show's sharp parody over the years have been Saddam Hussein, Tom Cruise, the soft drink Prime and GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.

“Everyone is always saying if you could make a play and give the audience the feeling they have in a horror movie, it would be an amazing thing,” he says.

Blum, whose Blumhouse has produced everything from “Get Out” to “Five Nights at Freddy's,” estimates he's gone to see 25 such plays, and 24 times “they come off goofy or you’re not scared at all.” That changed with his 25th — an adaptation of his “Paranormal Activity” franchise.

“I’ve never seen a play that’s made me scared ever and these guys pulled it off,” says Blum. “That they were able to make an audience feel like you felt when you watch the movie, I just couldn’t believe it.”

What's the play about?

The play, which has made its way through London, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Toronto and Boston, is now on Broadway and is creeping out critics and audiences alike.

It's the story of a newly married couple who have relocated from Chicago to London and find strange things going on in their quirky new home, straining their loyalties and sanity and defying science.

The stage play — without film's benefit of cutaways, close-ups or jump scares — still makes audiences scream with quite simple effects: a TV flickering, candles getting snuffed out, shadows appearing and blankets mysteriously getting pulled.

“I think the lack of big effects actually makes it feel much more grounded and scarier and more real,” says Blum, who knows a thing or two about horror effects: He was off-camera on the floor pulling a sheet off a bed with strings during the filming of the first “Paranormal Activity” movie.

Variety said the play “delivers more thrills, chills and screams than Broadway has seen in years” and Entertainment Weekly called it “two hours and 20 minutes of hair-raising, heart-pounding, and blood-curdling horror mixed with a dash of unexpected heart and humor.”

Blum credits playwright Levi Holloway, director Felix Barrett and illusion designer Chris Fisher with bringing horror to the stage, a traditionally tricky place for it. He opened his wallet and invested.

How the team approached this stage horror

Broadway has pulled off eerie recently — Fisher delivered thrillingly with “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” and “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” while Tracy Letts' “Bug” was creepy and Stephen Karam had unsettling noises for “The Humans." But true horror, that sickening, throat-clenching dread, has largely eluded stage artists.

That's why Barrett, who created the immersive hit “Sleep No More” with his company Punchdrunk, jumped at the chance. He recalls as a fledgling director going to see London's long-running ghostly play “The Woman in Black” and feeling it was “desperately underwhelming.”

“The opportunities to try and do something which really does get under the skin and really just treats it as an art form rather than something that’s comedic and full of gags was such an amazing opportunity,” he says.

Central to his team's approach was rooting the play in a truthful domestic drama. “This was only going to work if you saw a couple that you knew. You might walk past them in the street. You might even see yourself in that couple,” Barrett says.

Once that was established, the illusions and effects were baked into the set, not added afterward. Designer Fly Davis’ two-story, multiroom house is kept very dark, with some rooms empty, allowing the audience's imagination to fill in the gaps.

“You really want to almost forget it’s horror for a bit, just actually deal with the drama and then, suddenly, like the best sort of horror, the tendrils of dread come and tap you on the shoulder and, as you turn around, all hell breaks loose,” Barrett says.

‘Less is more’

Aided by lighting, sound effects and the set, Barrett manages various sleights-of-hands, like a magician making you look at one hand while their other is doing something else.

“We’ve learned that less is more,” he says. “The more you do, the less the impact because the audience becomes desensitized. So actually, in earlier drafts of the script, there were far more crazy things happening which we’ve cut.”

Humor is also important, and Holloway has seeded the play with jokes, moments of lightness between the couple and a mother-in-law from hell.

“If you get the audience to relax and start laughing, you become much more scared," says Blum. “You can’t keep an audience on the edge of their seat like this for 90 minutes. Eventually you get tired.”

Barrett says he hopes more theater-makers try horror, but find their own way. “I don’t want to say, ‘This is the right way to do it and don’t try a different way,’ because I want other amazing creators to come in and do their version.”

The British singer made the announcement in an Instagram post on September 7, describing the decision as a “digital cleanse.” She told followers that she was “tapping out” of the digital world and returning her attention to her offline life.

The Announcement

Jessie J began her message by saying that she was “OK,” although she added that she was not at her best. She said the preceding two years had been “magical, successful, life changing and extremely busy,” while also acknowledging that the period had taken a toll on parts of her life that she had not had enough time to address.

In her post, the singer said she wanted to give her “mind, body and heart a well needed hug.” She said the break would allow her to recharge, heal, rest, process recent experiences and spend time with her son, Sky.

People reported that Jessie J said future posts would generally come from her team or appear when she returned for work-related commitments. She also shared an image of herself holding her son’s hand and wrote that she would return to social media when she wanted to.

Surgery and Health Context

The planned surgery is connected to Jessie J’s earlier breast-cancer treatment. People reported that she was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in 2025 and subsequently underwent a mastectomy. Her latest post referred specifically to having her “second cancer reconstruction surgery.”

Jessie J previously postponed United Kingdom and European tour dates and canceled her United States dates after announcing that she needed another operation connected to her cancer treatment. At that time, she said the additional surgery was not considered “too serious,” but needed to be completed before the end of 2025. Her latest announcement indicates that reconstructive treatment remains part of her ongoing health journey.

In May 2026, the BBC reported that Jessie J had announced she was cancer-free, approximately one year after publicly disclosing her breast-cancer diagnosis. Her current decision to undergo reconstructive surgery should therefore not be described as evidence that her cancer has returned, because she did not say that in the September 7 announcement.

A Demanding Two-Year Period

Jessie J’s announcement placed the upcoming break in the context of several major personal and professional changes. She referred to releasing an album, moving from the United States to the United Kingdom, undergoing cancer treatment, touring internationally, ending a relationship and raising a toddler. E! News likewise reported that she described the previous two years as a period in which she learned more about herself and what she wanted her life to feel like.

The singer also said that she had been managing aspects of her public presence herself, including social-media activity, styling, hair and makeup. Her announcement did not identify a planned return date.

The timing follows a period in which Jessie J returned to public performance after her cancer treatment. She has also continued to discuss balancing work, parenthood and recovery in public statements.

What Jessie J Said About the Break

Jessie J framed the decision as a move toward greater presence in her daily life rather than as a permanent departure from public work. She said she wanted to be present and “really live,” while spending time with her son and preparing for surgery.

People reported that her final Instagram Stories post included a photograph of her hand clasped with Sky’s and the message, “No place I would rather be.” She ended that post with a farewell to social media and said she would return when she felt ready.

The announcement provides no medical details about the date, procedure or expected recovery period for the reconstruction surgery. Jessie J’s statement also does not indicate whether the break will affect any specific future musical releases or performances.

For now, the singer has said that her priorities are healing, rest, family and personal reflection. Her announcement makes clear that any return to social media will take place on her own timetable.

The reports said friends confirmed Hardin’s death in comments beneath a post on his Instagram account.

Out reported that Hardin died by suicide. The public reports reviewed for this article did not include a statement from law enforcement or a medical examiner, and details beyond those supplied by friends have not been independently confirmed.

Hardin’s death was reported shortly after he posted a farewell message on Instagram. The message read: “I love you and I’m sorry I was unable to make it to the end. GOODBYE FOREVER. Love, LuLu.” The accompanying caption referred to being hurt by someone with whom he had shared his heart.

What Friends Reported

A close friend identified as Asuras wrote in the comments that Hardin’s roommates had broken down his door and called paramedics, but that emergency responders were unable to resuscitate him. Out also quoted the friend’s statement, which identified Asuras as Hardin’s best friend.

The account of the emergency response has been attributed to Hardin’s friend rather than to an official agency. No publicly cited report reviewed for this article provided additional official information about the circumstances of the death.

Another person commenting on the post said Hardin’s family was asking for privacy during what was described as an overwhelming period. The family had not issued a public statement in the reports reviewed for this article.

Johani Montero, described by PinkNews as another person paying tribute to Hardin, called him one of the happiest and sweetest people Montero had known. Montero also encouraged people to check in with friends and to make space for conversations about emotional distress.

Work as LuLu LoveBottom

Hardin was known online and in nightlife settings as LuLu LoveBottom. Reports described him as both an adult-content creator and a burlesque performer.

A March 2025 interview with Out Sports provided publicly reported context about Hardin’s approach to burlesque. In that interview, Hardin said burlesque helped him connect femininity and masculinity in his identity.

The available reports did not provide a complete account of Hardin’s career, including the dates of his professional debut, the full extent of his performance work or a definitive list of productions and venues.

Reporting and Public Response

The news was published internationally by LGBTQ+ and queer-focused media outlets on September 8 and updated by some outlets on September 9.

The reports largely relied on Hardin’s public Instagram post and statements from friends in its comment section. That sourcing makes the friends’ confirmation central to the initial reporting while leaving some official details unavailable publicly.

Hardin’s death has prompted tributes from people who knew him and renewed calls from those friends for people to ask directly about one another’s wellbeing. Those comments reflect individual responses to the loss and should not be treated as an official explanation of Hardin’s death.

Because the reports concern a recent death and the family has reportedly requested privacy, further details should be published only when confirmed by the family, representatives or relevant authorities. The currently verifiable account is that Hardin died on September 7 at age 30, that friends announced his death after a farewell Instagram post, and that he was remembered publicly as LuLu LoveBottom, an adult performer and burlesque dancer.

Jepsen discussed the connection in a Hollywood Reporter interview published September 8, while speaking about her upcoming double album, Day and Night.

“It was an incredible show. Ilya is the name of my son. Maybe, not maybe because of that show,” Jepsen said in the interview.

The character Jepsen referenced is Ilya Rozanov, portrayed by Connor Storrie in Heated Rivalry.

Coverage of the disclosure identified Ilya Rozanov as one of the series’ central characters and described the character’s relationship with Shane Hollander, played by Hudson Williams, as the dramatic center of the story.

Jepsen’s wording did not establish that the series directly determined her son’s name; instead, she presented the possibility with a qualified, joking formulation.

The Hollywood Reporter interview identified Jepsen and musician Cole M.G.N. as parents of a son but did not provide additional identifying information about the child beyond his first name.

A Possible Season-Two Collaboration

The interview also renewed attention to a possible musical collaboration between Jepsen and Heated Rivalry.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tierney had wanted Jepsen to write an original song for the series’ first season, but the track was not produced because it was outside the show’s budget.

Billboard reported that Jepsen had been approached about contributing to the first season and that the proposed collaboration did not proceed because the production did not have the budget for it.

Jepsen said she had not yet heard from Tierney about writing for the second season, but described the opportunity as a “dream.”

Billboard similarly reported that Jepsen remained open to writing a song for season two, while noting that no agreement had been announced.

The available reporting therefore establishes interest from Jepsen and prior interest from Tierney, but it does not establish that Jepsen has been commissioned to write a season-two song.

The Series’ Queer Romance

Heated Rivalry is based on Rachel Reid’s romance novel and follows two professional hockey players whose public rivalry contrasts with their private relationship.

The principal characters are Shane Hollander, a Canadian player portrayed by Williams, and Ilya Rozanov, a Russian player portrayed by Storrie.

The series depicts a same-sex romance between the two athletes and has been covered as a queer hockey drama.

That representation has made the show especially relevant to LGBTQ+ audiences, although the reports about Jepsen’s interview focus on her fandom and the potential soundtrack collaboration rather than on a new LGBTQ+ policy or social issue.

The Hollywood Reporter has described the program as a hit hockey romance series created by Tierney.

Season Two and Jepsen’s Music

The Hollywood Reporter reported on August 30 that season two was set for a spring 2027 release on Crave and HBO Max.

The same report said Williams and Storrie were returning and that Charlie Gillespie, Justice Smith, Daniel Diemer and Shaheen Jafargholi had been added to the cast.

Those production details provide a potential window for a Jepsen contribution, but no announced song, recording schedule or soundtrack release has been reported.

Jepsen’s interest comes as she prepares to release *Day and Night*, which The Hollywood Reporter describes as a double album divided into two thematic sections.

The album’s “Day” section is described as psychedelic pop, while “Night” is characterized by synth-driven electropop.

Billboard reported that Day and Night was scheduled for release September 18, 2026.

For now, Jepsen’s relationship to Heated Rivalry is confirmed in two ways: she has publicly praised the series and connected its Ilya character to her son’s name, and she has disclosed that she would welcome the chance to write music for its second season.

No formal announcement has confirmed that Jepsen will appear on the season-two soundtrack.