Then-first lady Jill Biden is pictured leaving federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, in June 2024 during court proceedings for her stepson, Hunter Biden. (Matt Slocum / AP)
By Nick Givas and April 17, 2026 at 12:05pm
Former first lady Jill Biden attempted to pay her way onto HBO’s controversial show about gay hockey players, bidding $35,000 for a walk-on role in and dinner with the cast.
The entertainment publication Variety cited sources on Thursday who said she was outbid for the perk package on “Heated Rivalry,” which ultimately went to two bidders at $125,000 each.
After Variety posted an item about Biden’s bid on the social media site X, she responded with a post of her own.
“Guess I won’t be heading to the cottage after all—but it was worth a shot!” she wrote, referring to a location that’s played a pivotal role in the series. “What a wonderful evening supporting @LGBTCenterNYC.”
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
The live auction was held at the NYC LGBT Community Center.
The first season of the show saw Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams play National Hockey League rivals who later form a romantic relationship.
Season two of “Heated Rivalry,” adapted author Rachel Reid’s series “Game Changers,” is expected to premiere on HBO Max in April 2027.
Show creator Jacob Tierney, and his producing partner Brendan Brady, were honored at the live auction, with the center’s CEO Carla Smith hailing them as visionaries.
They have “elevated and centered queer characters as fully realized leads whose desires, conflicts and tenderness are treated with dignity,” she said before the event, according to Variety.
“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,” Smith added.
Biden’s bid was curious, however, given reports from last year that stated her husband — former President Joe Biden — was struggling to make money off his presidency.
“Biden, 82 years old, is charting a postpresidency that is less lucrative than what he’d expected when he left office,” The Wall Street Journal reported last year.
“Options for big jobs are limited by his advanced age, his unpopularity in Democratic circles and companies — concerned about retribution from President Trump —that aren’t offering speaking gigs.”
“The result for Biden,” the report continued, “is a leaner next chapter that lacks the well-funded foundations, plans for exquisite libraries and full calendar of paid speeches his peers enjoyed.”
The Wall Street Journal also wrote that Joe Biden has also had trouble getting groups and political organizations to meet his speaking fee demands, which range from $300,000 to $500,000.
Nick Givas has been a reporter for The Daily Caller, Fox News, and served as Managing Editor of the Newsroom at Project Veritas. He’s also hosted three different podcasts, served as a Congressional Communications Director, and had his work featured in The Federalist, Daily Signal, New York Post, and Real Clear Politics.
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