Former first lady Jill Biden was fully prepared to shell out $35,000 for a chance to appear in an upcoming season of HBO’s gay hockey drama, “Heated Rivalry.”
Sadly for her, Biden was outbid during the NYC LGBT Community Center’s dinner charity auction on Thursday night, with the offer selling twice to two bidders at $125,000 each, as Variety reported.
“Guess I won’t be heading to the cottage after all — but it was worth a shot! What a wonderful evening supporting @LGBTCenterNYC,” Biden wrote later on X in response to a news article about her bid.
Guess I won’t be heading to the cottage after all—but it was worth a shot! What a wonderful evening supporting @LGBTCenterNYC 💕 https://t.co/umwzNLQAfn
— Dr. Jill Biden (@DrBiden) April 17, 2026
As expected, Biden got ripped in the comments.
“I miss when American politics had people who weren’t irredeemable f***ing losers,” one reply said.
“So you are bidding 35,000 on nothing while Hunter flees the country not paying his lawyers? I thought yall were broke?” another commenter observed.
“Read the room. Not a good look for you on the week of the reports that Hunter can’t pay his bills,” a third person wrote.
“Heated Rivalry,” which became a breakout hit in 2025, follows two closeted hockey players who engage in a romantic relationship. It’s been criticized for featuring graphic sexual content, but despite this, has been especially popular with heterosexual women.
Interestingly, the series has been criticized by the gay community as well. A review published on Slate went so far as to say the sex was depicted in a “deeply conservative way.”
“According to the logic of its plot thus far, sex between men does not make the characters gay (or even bisexual, for that matter),” the review claims. “By their own admission, they do not see themselves that way. Gayness begins only when desire leaves the bedroom and enters the social world—when it is confessed, claimed, and explained.”
Actor and comedian Jordan Firstman was called out for his comments on the series, as he said the characters do not accurately show “how gay people f*ck” and accused the series of being made for viewers who “want to see two straight hockey players pretending to be gay.”
Firstman later apologized and walked back his comments.
“Heated Rivalry” creator Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady received a Cultural Impact Award at the charity event, the outlet noted. It was presented by Rachel Reid, author of the book series “Game Changers,” upon which the book is based.
“Tierney and Brady have elevated and centered queer characters as fully realized leads whose desires, conflicts and tenderness are treated with dignity,” Center CEO Dr. Carla Smith said. “By championing our voices, they have brought queer joy and storytelling to the mainstream media and have created work that affirms and advances our community.”
Season two of “Heated Rivalry” is expected to begin filming later this year for a scheduled release in 2027.
