Gay Olympian Gus Kenworthy Reveals His Surprising Celebrity Parallel To 'Heated Rivalry'

The characters of Heated Rivalry have inspired thirst-trap TikToks, memes, and award-show commentary—and now, an Olympian. Or, as Gus Kenworthy recently suggested, maybe the inspiration ran the other way.

In an interview with The New Yorker published Sunday, the British-American freestyle skier acknowledged the striking “parallels” he sees between the hit series and his own private life, particularly in the years before he publicly addressed his sexuality.

He was so moved by the series that he reached out directly to the creator after watching:

“I actually wrote a message to [series creator Jacob Tierney] because I was so moved, and didn’t expect to be. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen myself reflected onscreen like that, in such a substantial way.”

Based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novels, Heated Rivalry captured the cultural zeitgeist shortly after premiering on HBO Max and Canada’s Crave in November to critical and viral-making acclaim.

For those living under a boring grey rock: the six-episode series follows professional hockey players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), whose fierce rivalry on the ice evolves into a secret, off-the-record romance.

As the story unfolds, Shane’s high-profile career fuels his fear of being out. He distances himself from Ilya and instead publicly dates a female actor, Rose Landry (Sophie Nélisse), whose presence offers the illusion of safety and normalcy.

For Kenworthy, that storyline felt uncomfortably familiar:

“The parallels are kind of insane. I also had a secret relationship, with these clandestine meetings and hookups.”

One of those moments, he revealed, involved Miley Cyrus.

Kenworthy did not formally date Cyrus, but the two shared a brief, flirty connection fueled by text messages and intense public attention during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. At the time, Kenworthy had not yet come out publicly, and later described the rumors surrounding the pair as a “secret relationship” while he was still navigating his sexuality.

Kenworthy described how Cyrus became his real-life version of Rose:

“And Miley Cyrus was my own Rose, this famous person that I was suddenly linked to, and as much as I kind of wanted it—because that’s the person you would want to be with if you’re straight, someone successful and beautiful and talented—it’s not the same as when you’re with a guy.”

Kenworthy came out in October 2015 during an interview with ESPN The Magazine, one year after winning a silver medal in slopestyle at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Now 34, he later made headlines at the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, when NBC aired footage of him kissing his then-boyfriend, actor Matthew Wilkas, before a qualifying run.

You can view the Instagram post promoting his featured interview here:

Kenworthy has been widely praised for being “one of the first action-sports stars to come out,” according to Olympics.com. Though he and Wilkas split in 2019, his visibility had already cemented his place as a trailblazer in elite sports.

In interviews before he came out, Kenworthy described Cyrus as his dream celebrity “Valentine,” and the two followed one another on social media. Cyrus, for her part, expressed unwavering support.

Cyrus wrote on social media at the time:

And no, the Grammy-winning pop singer has not yet publicly commented on Kenworthy’s New Yorker interview this week or his characterization of her as his real-life “Rose.”

Looking back on the Sochi Games, held in Russia amid strict anti-LGBTQ laws, Kenworthy admitted he briefly considered making a public declaration of love to his boyfriend if he won gold.

Kenworthy recalled the emotional toll of that time:

“It was surreal for a number of reasons, but I was also digging myself this deeper and deeper hole. I actually love her. But then there was some flirty texting, and I remember thinking, What am I doing? I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to keep waking up and lying.”

While much of the conversation around Heated Rivalry has focused on Shane and Ilya, Kenworthy said he most strongly related to Scott Hunter (François Arnaud), who publicly comes out with his boyfriend Kip (Robbie G.K.) in one of the series’ most memorable scenes.

Kenworthy explained why that storyline resonated so deeply:

“He wanted to be out, but really, just truly felt like he couldn’t be, because of his circumstances. That was me for so many years. I had the same yearning—to be in love, to be public, and to not have to hide.”

The revelation that Miley Cyrus functioned as Kenworthy’s real-life Rose sent the internet into a spiral, underscoring how Heated Rivalry’s emotional core extends beyond fiction.

Here’s how the conversation unfolded online:

A U.S. athlete by birth, Kenworthy competed in his first two Olympics before retiring in 2022. He skipped the Beijing Winter Games that year but later announced a comeback, using his British ancestry to compete for Team Great Britain. He officially joined Great Britain’s skiing squad last week and is set to return at the 2026 Winter Games in Italy.

In recent years, Kenworthy has also expanded into acting and reality television, appearing on American Horror Story and Coming Out Colton, where he served as a mentor to former Bachelor star Colton Underwood. Elsewhere in his New Yorker interview, he revealed that he auditioned for The White Lotus but didn’t land the role.

Still, Kenworthy made it clear he’d happily trade ski boots for skates again, this time on screen. Heated Rivalry has already been renewed for a second season, and he seems more than ready.

Kenworthy joked about a potential casting opportunity:

“You know, I played hockey through high school. I can skate, and I know how to handle a stick.”

With season two on the way, Kenworthy sounds more than ready to see just how far those parallels might extend—on or off the ice.