To anyone with eyes and ears on the ground at New York Fashion Week (and the internet), it’s clear that Hudson Williams is the most famous man in the world right now. Ever since word hit the TL earlier this week that the Heated Rivalry star was set to co-host a Lunar New Year party with Bridgerton’s Yerin Ha, the question on everyone’s lips has been: How does one secure the invite?
By some miraculous force of nature (a.k.a. the lovely folks at Gold House, the AAPI-centered nonprofit that put on the event with Williams and Ha, alongside designers Prabal Gurung, Kim Shui, and Bach Mai), I did secure the invite. So come Thursday night, down I went to Chinese Tuxedo, prepared for exactly what was advertised: a night of karaoke and mahjong and dancing and a Bridgerton portrait studio.
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As far as I could tell, the karaoke and mahjong and portrait studio—though lovely—were not anyone’s primary concern. The real draw of the evening was Williams—as I waited in line at the bar, at least three people around me were speculating on when he would arrive (soon), how long he would stay (the entire night), and if they could get a photo with him (everyone did). All three floors of the venue were packed for the first couple of hours, but it wasn’t until Ha and Williams emerged—the latter clad in a creamy white Prabal Gurung suit, a silky scarf draped around his neck and fastened with a rhinestone brooch—that the party really started.
A tangible vibe shift spread across the venue when the hosts joined the party, and wherever Williams went, a bulky throng followed as if magnetized; when he ducked into the mahjong room to play with his Heated Rivalry co-star Ksenia Daniela, a crowd hovered outside, people leaning around security to catch a glimpse of him through the curtained doorway. I need to emphasize that the guests at this party were largely industry professionals—journalists, actors, and entertainers who are used to being around celebrities, and probably wouldn’t bat an eye if the entire roster of Oscar nominees pulled up, much less endeavor to ask for a photo together. The effect Williams has on a room is unlike anything I’ve witnessed before—I wasn’t alive for Beatlemania, but I’m willing to bet that Hudsonmania is a stronger drug.