not yall having me come out of 1D analysis retirement for this because i’m tired of seeing comments about how Deuxmoi is not a mouthpiece for hudson.
anyway. here we go. this post isn’t about proving HudKate to be real/not real right now. that is beside the point of this particular post. i have my own feelings about that, to discuss later. right now, keep your feelings neutral because it’s a necessary requirement to understand the strategy aspects of what Hudson’s team is doing with DM. in the same vein, this isn’t about HudCon. we’re purely looking at strategy. okay?
background credentials: i work in PR.
and i only say that bc i guess it’ll be the only way some of yall will take this post seriously. i want to caveat that i don’t work in the entertainment industry - i work for several large brands, but there’s strategy/tactical cross over, and i was deeply involved in 1D days.
i’ve witnessed my fair share of leaks, planting and team strategy, and what H and C’s teams are doing is par for the course, and honestly, quite funny because you can tell how green they are.
some contextual background regarding Deuxmoi:
they’re a gossip site akin to the olden days of Perez Hilton and old as fuck TMZ. posting rumors - true or untrue - isn’t quite the point. Public relations and communications is about two things and two things only: brand and reputation.
DM does not have to be right about what they post. they post things based on rumors, insight they get from randos but also, strategically, from teams looking to send fandom and online spaces a message.
also let’s play devil’s advocate with DM, as well in that, no outlet, regardless of credibility status, will be 100% right. top tier pubs like NYT and WSJ still fuck up because humans are behind it, such is life.
and that’s what’s important to note about gossip: it doesn’t need to be right coming from DM. you plant a seed, and it grows, and when it does, the job is done.
but why DM? because it looks less suspicious than using a more credited source - and also, why the fuck would Variety or GQ or any of the other larger outlets be posting mid to lower level gossip? that ruins their credibility; it’s not what they’re there for and some fandom-related discussions need to be addressed but not by larger publications.
his team would be stupid as hell if they weren’t paying attention to low-level gossip. Hudson, no matter what people think, is not beneath them as they are a critical key between people speculating about his private life and online fandom - because fandom itself is going to be the people that matter the most. the general public isn’t going to care about him in the way that fandom does - they follow casually, if they follow or care enough at all.
enter the third space: social media
now, we have Deuxmoi that has filled that space and taken over the blogger-esque platforms, keeping people updated related to the times of social media. Just Jared has managed to survive, though they’ve always been a more teeny-bopper parody of TMZ, just less salacious.
let’s also note that social media is (not even arguable, it’s a fact now) one of the top places that people get their news from - from business to entertainment to global. on top of that, Gen Z is Hudson’s target audience - they’re online; he’s Gen Z.
i also want to note that i say this because Gen Z is also less likely to do their own research. they get their news online, do not fact check it, and take it at face value. that makes it so much easier to populate gossip and turn it into three truths instead of two truths and a lie.
let’s provide sources because studies are available:
Stagewell (Harris Poll survey): 85% of young people get their news from social media
this is even backed up by data as early as 2022 from Statista: Gen Z news consumption sources in the U.S. 2022
Politico: How Gen Z Became the Most Gullible Generation
DM has a following, and people pay attention. what’s better than using a salacious gossipy site to deliver messaging in an “authentic” way that doesn’t turn heads in the way it would coming from somewhere more respectable? a more credible source isn’t going to put their reputation on the line like that, but who cares if a gossip site does?
“but DM has been wrong about things; why should we trust their Hudson rumors” - that’s not the point. you’ll always have two sides: the people that do believe DM, and people who sideeye them. DM doesn’t need to have everyone aligned on this. they don’t care; they’re just relaying information, right or wrong; they’ve said so themselves.
Remember what I said above about PR? Public relations and communications is about two things and two things only: brand and reputation. you just need the seed (idea) to grow; that’s all it takes.
Deuxmoi also ties in with hudson’s image - how?
toward the start of their online minglings, Hudson was/is known for being chronically online, engaging, and a fan favorite for being in-tune with fandom and its language. he’s the people’s princess, and he’s “just like us!” of course he’d be familiar with, possibly even just heard of it, if not consumed, Deuxmoi and the online atmosphere. his digital footprint showcases as much - that he was online just like everyone else before and after Heated Rivalry.
but if we (his team) need to address fandom rumors - because Hudson’s been the star of such commentary since the beginning - where do you go that fits the gossip? to monitor fandom in a way that doesn’t hurt relationships with larger publications? ……Deuxmoi.
why would his team care? why wouldn’t they just ignore it? gossip and rumors have the potential to do damage - the extent of it is never truly known until it takes off, but it can easily turn into a crisis situation. Hudson’s scandal with the swastika is a case-in-point of crisis communication and how fandom discussions have very real repercussions.
Putting things into perspective:
before jumping into the timeline of Hudson and Deuxmoi, i need to reiterate that this isn’t trying to prove that HudKate is real/not real or that HudCon is real/not real. however, the events which have happened with Deuxmoi are in relation to Hudson, Connor and Katelyn.
regardless of what you believe to be true about these relationships, the idea behind Hudson’s team’s strategy is more about mitigating and managing fandom, online rumors and guiding people to believe a narrative they want you to believe.
we have several key fandom players here, called “target audiences,” including:
And those not necessarily relevant to the list but anyone else not in the above is another target audience. There are many, many more, but these are the most relevant for this conversation.
is his team making decisions strictly based on all of these? no, no quite. what they’re doing (or should be doing) is creating an overarching narrative for his brand and reputation. This mitigates rumors; it silences shipping (and thereby creates fandom police who will control unwanted, speculatory, “delusional” narratives) and reiterates what they want you to know, understand and associate with Hudson.
to understand this concept and how PR operates here, think of a singular goal you want to achieve. this could be in anything, and for the sake of this conversation, we’ll say Hudson wants it known he isn’t gay (doesn’t mitigate being bisexual, but i digress). How would you make this angle work?
NOTE: THIS IS STRATEGIC THINKING. i am NOT saying this is what happened. i’m walking you through the logistics of what you’d want to think about during a situation like this and how it could’ve possibly led to DM being a mouthpiece.
well, if we don’t want Hudson identified as gay publicly, we gotta pay attention to online discussions in relation to Heated Rivarly. he’s playing a gay character, and that’s okay, but Hudson’s own sexuality? off limits.
enter in promotion for the show that will heavily involve discussions of sexuality and the sex itself. that’s okay because it’s not about Hudson or Connor but about the characters.
but wait - Hudson and Connor are a little (a lot) friendly in promotions. people are starting to take notice. maybe we (the team) should formulate a plan in case this snowballs. let’s monitor fandom and media reaction.
enter hi-tops (Dec. 10) as a promotional tactic for Head Rivalry. well, Connor’s behavior is questionable, but people online have already speculated about Hudson having a possible girlfriend.
to note, people who attended hi-tops thought HudCon were dating.
we could speculate that the drop of the Katelyn video on Dec. 10 (see below in the timeline) was put in place to mitigate the speculation that could’ve (that did) come out of hi-tops.
also to note: Katelyn was never actually identified as Hudson’s girlfriend until Chelsea (Hudson’s former roommate) cemented this on the same day. but Hudson has history with Katelyn; she also attended the Toronto premiere of Heated Rivalry. she’s been seen in photos with Hudson at the film festivals he’s attended in the past but no previous content suggested they were dating.
proactive output: utilize previous content to showcase this history; let fandom circulate photos and continue speculation without outright admitting they’re dating aside from someone close to them.
furthermore on this day, we’ll now get conversations about Connor and Hudson and Hudson and Katelyn. it doesn’t stop conversations about hi-tops, but it firmly puts into place that there’s nothing more than friendliness between HudCon because Oh! Hudson has a girlfriend.
now, fandom is really talking about it. this isn’t top-tier media worthy, but it’s gossipy. who better than to further confirm Hudson’s relationship before HudCon creates a larger snowball effect from the hi-top videos (and subsequently Quinn audio narration and the rest of the press tour)? how do we put fandom safeguards in place?
but you may ask: why would his team want DM confirm HudKate, only for then Hudson to “grow unfond?”
fandom at this point had no reason to look at Deuxmoi as a source for information up until about 1-2 weeks before the “unfond” posts - starting with Francois, Connor, then Hudson-focused posts. it looks like discussions about Hudson’s girlfriend are invasive but allows DM to start posting about Hudson moving forward. he’s “made it” as someone relevant enough to discuss, and it gives his team a new media source (that isn’t trade media or top-tier) to work with.
Hudson’s comment drew further attention to DM’s coverage not DM herself.
it reiterates Hudson's image at this point in the timeline - people’s princess, chronically online, unhinged comments, no media training narrative, his ability to speak his mind by defending and standing up for himself.
it allows his team to use DM without anyone speculating that they are because the narrative has been set that DM is just being a silly little gossip site that Hudson doesn’t approve of. this creates immediate distrust between DM and the fandom, something that can be utilized by Hudson’s team to their advantage. “He hates them; why would they stoop so low?” etc.
everything thereafter makes DM look terrible, but who cares? they were already a gossip site to begin with. water off a duck’s back for them but now look who has eyes on them just in case?
Timeline of first interactions to where we are now:
Note: this does not include every DM post, as some are event-based photos that are not relevant - mainly grabbed from blackgrid/getty images.
Early Dec: people start questioning whether he has a girlfriend. not his sexuality and not so much being with Connor, at this stage. this starts when people online are speculating he’s dating someone.
Dec 10: a video of HudKate surfaces on Twitter and TikTok wherein chelsea adds text referencing hudson as her roommates’ bf (source) the morning of hudcon’s hi-tops appearance later that day.
Context: this isn’t a scandal at this point, but it is relative to his private life. and we (his team) can’t let that get out of hand too quickly, especially as HR starts popping off and gaining more traction, and going viral. especially as people are fawning over his and Connor’s friendship at hi-tops. especially as it pertains to his private life.
To note: at this point, it doesn’t matter if we think HudCon or real or not; the point here is that managing fandom’s expectations has become the central point of his team.
Dec. 13: DM posts, for the first time (source), about Heated Rivalry, specifically focusing on Francois and Jordan Firstman’s comments about “authentic gay sex.” while there is a photo of HudCon overlaid on the image of Francois, neither are mentioned by name.
Context: this sets off DM discussing Heated Rivalry, and her first-ever mention of anyone outside of Francois is actually Connor.
Dec. 14: DM shares that Connor and Francois were spotted having coffee with no photo (source).
Dec. 17: DM posts about Hudson for the first time, behind the scenes photos of the Numero photoshoot (source).
Dec. 18: DM posts about Connor and Francois hanging out, continuing to spark rumors about Concois (source).
Dec 21: Deuxmoi first posts about HudKate. Hudson's first comment, the infamous “i’ve grown quite unfond of you.” Deuxmoi takes the post down. (source: Just Jared)
Context: Hudcon are popping off, people nothing their chemistry
Jan. 7: a tiktok account pops up using gizmo as its profile picture, and releases tons of photos and clips of HudKate. Katelyn, using her work profile, asks for the account to be reported. the tiktok account hits back by telling fans her father is MAGA. she deletes her IG story. Hudson also appears on Jimmy Fallon; the tiktok account leaks fake letterboxd reviews supposedly from Hudson.
Jan. 26: Connor and Francois photos are posted in Paris; around this time; there’s further rise in dating rumors between the two.
Jan. 31: Venice pics are posted with Connor and Katelyn; Hudson likes the bf & gf comment; tiktok leak account deactivates.
Feb. 14: Hudson posts a valentine’s day post dedicated to Katelyn; Hudson includes a photo of Connor and Katelyn across from Hudson, with a heart drawn around Connor only.
Between this time, Concois has really taken over fandom.
Jan 28: “It’s been really nice, because Connor and I are aligned. We want to be different artists. We don’t want to be the Olsen twins. We want to be Connor and Hudson, with different filmographies and different deals.” - Hudson for Wonderland Magazine
Hudson also subsequently mentioned that they purposefully text each other so they don’t show up at the same event.
around time timeframe, Connor is slowly, if not already, not posting on social media. DM-related posts about him are fewer and DM starts to focus primarily on Hudson.
Feb. 26: DM learns that Hudson is new NYC (source)
Context: Connor is making his SNL debut and major speculation is happening fandom-wide whether Hudson will make an appearance.
March 1, DM posts photos of HudCon arriving at the SNL after party (source); fandom takes off with “kissing” speculations given they arrive in the same car together and their lips are swollen.
March 15: Oscars happens; Hudson attends, is interviewed by E!Talk Canada and is asked about his relationship launch; infamous “she doesn’t want to be perceived;” Vanity Fair afterparty takes place with Hudson, Connor and Katelyn showing up; DM posts the HQ photos from Getty on March 16 (source).
Context: Hudson was interviewed on the red carpet of the Oscars by Canadian outlet E!Talk about his girlfriend; hours later, she debuted at the VF after party, with her full name shared with press. since she is now public, DM starts posting about Hudson and Katelyn more regularly.
April 1: DM posts that sources tell her that Hudson and Katelyn are as strong as ever and have major plans before Heated Rivalry starts filming (source).
Context: fandom starts up conversations about Hudson and Katelyn family planning due to them finding accounts Hudson and Katelyn were following (wedding photographer, doula and a jeweler). however, the follows being recent was disproved and fandom was speculating based on the fact that they had only just noticed these accounts in their follow list.
fandom had known about Hudson following the jeweler back in February, as the jeweler either attended SNL or the after party.
while Katelyn was found to be following the doula, she was following the account for a while. it was also discovered she was following the wedding photography account for awhile.
fans were also speculating that Katelyn went back to VC immediately after the Oscars, and Hudson stayed in LA with Connor for a week before going to Canada to film Apparatus/Peloton ad and back to LA for Madwoman MV. during this time in late March, Katelyn uploaded a story on IG at the airport. fans assumed she'd be going to meet up with Hudson or was going somewhere else altogether.
April 28: fans find Elena’s Threads account, which subsequently makes some fans find her IG, which follows Deuxmoi. Connor’s managers also follow Deuxmoi.
notably, they do not follow a lot of people, and DM stands out as the primary gossip-related news source.
May 5: DM posts a video of Hudson in the early hours of the morning after attending several Met Gala after-parties with his team and Connor (source).
Context: Articles and first accounts circulate that Hudson and Connor spent the night partying/showing up at various Met Gala after-party events throughout the night.
May 6: Deuxmoi posts about Hudson’s “rpfing gotta stop yall” (source).
Context: Hudson comments on a Threads comment that does not mention HudCon or Katelyn. Later, he deletes the post, including other fan interactions.
May 12: Deuxmoi makes another post (source) about a potential “major milestone” coming this summer between Hudson and Katelyn. she has previously mentioned they had summer plans coming up.
Context: Possible damage control, as HudCon’s movement during the Met Gala is still heavily discussed within fandom.
May 20: Deuxmoi receives a fake tip (source 1, source 2) from a fan who follows Katelyn’s tattoo account. she exposes the fake account, and clarifies that Hudson was with his mom at The Roof in Vancouver.
Context: this is following several post uploads of Hudson’s friends sharing footage of HudKate as well as some “leaked” photos from Kalem’s Instant (IG) upload wherein HudKate are together hanging out with him.
May 31: CSAs; while DM did not post about the CSA’s, it’s important to note that Hudson brings Katelyn and his parents to this event. this is after weeks of Katelyn discussions throughout May.
June 9: Deuxmoi shares (source) that Hudson’s peloton’s ad campaign ended due to contract, not the swastika photos.
Context: Between June 6-7, photos leak of Hudson with a swastika on his face. TMZ posts that Hudson was unaware it was drawn on him; Just Jared shares but includes info on Katelyn being Hudson’s girlfriend.
June 13: Deuxmoi posts (source) that Hudson is spotted and was supposedly having dinner with Katelyn - no photo proof of Katelyn was provided.
Context: from May 16-23, Hudson’s friends post that he was back in VC spending time with them and Katelyn via a photo of them hanging out with Kalem, and a group photo of him and friends getting ice cream later, Samantha releases a vlog which contains Hudson being surprised by his friends; then a second video is released by DM of someone filming Hudson and Katelyn walking together down the street across the road from the filmer.
Why does this timeline + strategy matter:
the timeline isn’t showcasing that every post by DM is coming from Hudson’s team directly. however, you’ll notice that some fandom conversations align with DM’s postings. it’s easy to say that DM is piggybacking off of fandom because it’ll get them attention and clicks, but to be honest, DM has never needed Hudson - they have plenty of stars they’re posting about already.
arguably, DM’s posts about him keep him relevant in online spaces, and when fandom conversations start getting out of hand, who is making notable posts addressing it? Deuxmoi or TMZ. for business or career moves, we hear from The Hollywood Reporter or Variety.
because this largely has to do with relationships, and by association sexuality, it’s reasonable to assume that a lot of the narrative being driven is in correlation with this topic (ie. what is Hudson’s team’s goal? DM’s conversations have only discussed Hudsn’s projects no more than 5 times). is it the sole reason? no, maybe not, but it’s a large one. Therefore:
Hudson probably doesn’t want this private life exposed or his sexuality discussed, as with any other person in his position. that’s his, and he’s entitled to it.
Hollywood is not as liberal or progressive as we think it is. regardless of Hudson’s sexuality, the speculation of it, leaks or any implications that point in that direction can be a detriment to someone just starting out their career.
Hudson is already vying for a spot that is being consumed by nepotism; both he and Connor have to play the long game if they want to establish longevity.
people like the idea of gay and representation but on the whole, it’s still very much limiting and restricting to be boxed in. typecasting is still a thing, and so is commercial success via heteronormativity. it doesn’t matter what Hudson’s sexuality actually is - speculation is enough to be cautious.
“but there are other out-and-proud gays out there!!! Why would speculation matter?” those out and queer often have an established working history, often not in larger projects or have built up a network of people that will help them get hired for their next projects. they are exceptions to the rules - it’s why you can probably only count on two hands public figures that have come out as queer.
the biggest case in point: Off Campus vs Heated Rivalry - the straight cast of Off Campus is already leagues ahead of HudCon in Instagram followers and brand deals.
the amount of people ive heard publicly talking about OF - with friends, in bookstores - kinda crazy.
heteronormativity will always, unfortunately, be the center. hegemony is an ugly beast.
Connor’s team has taken a different approach in general in relation to updates about him. very, very early on, he pulled back from social media, and therefore, he hasn’t been as front and center within fandom conversations. this isn’t to say they wouldn’t use DM or any other source to release information, but by proxy of not being online, it’s removed a lot of the speculative aspects about himself. Concois being the exception, but was nipped in the bud around the time of SNL and then further pulled back to where he’s considered chronically offline.
other ways in which strategy comes into play:
while there’s various angles here, what i really want to note is that using DM is no different than using fandom update accounts to provide exclusive content. Hudson’s Twitter update accounts, including Hudson Williams Updates, ConnorxHudsonstyle, and Hudson Williams Closet, have made it known they’ve been in contact with individuals associated with Hudson.
from Hudson’s friends giving them exclusive photos and info on short film screenings to Hudson’s Closet publicly sharing that they’ve been in contact with Anastasia (Hudson’s stylist) to confirm outfit and jewelry choices, Hudson’s team is choosing to interact with fandom through favorable channels to keep fandom interested and fed.
his team would never utilize these accounts to feed info about private information, but will do it for business and career moves.
so it begs the question: who are they going to when it is about private information?
next thing i could discuss: hudson + media training
turnnoffyourmind
gummygunk
andulkaphoto
gracieabrams
amandla
stormborns
