Watch: Heated Rivalry’s Hudson Williams Puts a Glam Twist on Matador Look at Met Gala 2026
There were a few heated rivals of Hudson Williams’ look at the 2026 Met Gala.
Though the Heated Rivalry star endeared many of his fans with his powder blue Balenciaga suit and bold red-and-blue eye makeup, he seemed to polarize other online users who saw the glam as “messy.”
Amid the backlash, Hudson’s longtime groomer Aika Flores responded, sharing she is able to “receive all feedback, positive & negative, with grace & gratitude.”
“It’s all part of growth,” Aika wrote on Threads May 6. “Taking a risk always comes at a cost, & I stand by that. There’s always room to evolve, no matter where I am in my career.”
But while the groomer—who has also worked with clients such as Joe Jonas and Alex Warren—seemed willing to engage with critics, she also called on commenters to speak out with empathy.
“While everyone is entitled to an opinion,” Aika continued, “it’s important to remember there’s a human with feelings behind the work, building something with purpose, vision, & heart. It cost [sic] nothing to be kind.”
In a follow-up post, she added, “Please be kind to each other. *logging off.”
Although some people may have thought Hudson’s makeup missed the mark, the actor said he thought “Aika killed it.”
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
“The makeup was inspired by Black Swan because me and my groomer Aika love that movie,” he told Vogue at the Met Gala. “We wanted to reference cinema and we kind of wanted to do the White Swan becoming the Black Swan a little bit.”
Meanwhile, he also reflected on how he and Aika have approached his style as he continues to evolve in his career.
“We’re creating more, staying fluid, never really locking in,” he said in a separate Vogue interview at the event. “We like masculinity and femininity in everything we do. This [makeup]? We’re just going crazy, having fun.”
To look back at some of the looks that won the 2026 Met Gala, keep reading…
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
John Salangsang/Shutterstock
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
“Mäda Primavesi” with this Prada look. Her manicurist Emi Kudo leaned into the “pale, paper-y nude with blues, whites, yellows and grays” of the artwork by layering six different colors of DND Gel polishes on her nails.
David Fisher/Shutterstock
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Theo Wargo/FilmMagic
Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
David Fisher/Shutterstock
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