Drew Barrymore surprises gay hockey player with Hudson Williams message

Hockey player Jesse Kortuem broke the internet earlier this month after he came out as gay and cited Heated Rivalry as the inspiration to do so. On Wednesday, The Drew Barrymore Show's social media pages shared a clip from an upcoming episode featuring the hockey player reacting to a video message from Hudson Williams, one of the show's stars, thanking him for his courage.

The clip starts with Barrymore showering Kortuem with praise for coming out (Kortuem was never in the NHL, which still has no out players, but he did play in multiple other leagues). Kortuem said episode 5 in which Scott Hunter (played by François Arnaud) brings his boyfriend, Kip (Robbie G.K.), onto the ice and kisses him in front of the crowd was the scene that impacted him the most.

"We finally have these magical moments in sports, and we finally have these magical moments in stories like this," he said. "It’s such a positive reflection of what our society can be, and I’m hoping to lend that voice to help those kids that are hurting to be themselves.”

Then, Barrymore surprised Kortuem with a video from Williams. "Hi Jesse, it’s Hudson. I just wanted to say, thank you for watching our show and sharing your kind words you had for it. It really means a lot that our show could even play a little small part and a sort of positive thing about your life," the actor said in the video. "And thank you for your bravery and just sounding like a really cool guy, and hi, Drew, as well. Hi everyone, actually. Really just thank you so much, Jesse, you’re amazing.”

Shortly after coming out, the professional hockey player gave an exclusive interview to Out and said, "I know many closeted and gay men in the hockey world are being hit hard by Heated Rivalry's success. Never in my life did I think something so positive and loving could come from such a masculine sport. I've struggled the last few weeks to put these emotions into words, fearing the impact on team dynamics, etc."

Korteum's appearance and Hudson's message airs Thursday on The Drew Barrymore Show on CBS affiliates.