Jacob Tierney gets candid about HIV status in resurfaced clip & fans are applauding his honesty
"There was like a year and a half where I just was basically dying all the time," the 'Heated Rivalry' creator shared in a candid '22 interview.
Mark
We’re sure we don’t have to tell you, but one the best parts of Heated Rivalry was the sex.
Yes, because it was hot, but more importantly because it was frank, intimate, and felt like an authentic expression of the heated romance blossoming between Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) & Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie).
How about we take this to the next level?
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In that sense, credit is due to series creator-writer-director Jacob Tierney, who saw the spark in Rachel Reid’s source novel and fought to bring it to the screen with no concessions. Sure, that might’ve meant he had to produce it with a much smaller budget, but that also meant he could approach the sex scenes with an honesty we rarely get to see between two queer men on TV.
And that’s why Tierney was perfect for the job: He’s always been refreshingly open when it comes to sex & sexuality, actively combating stigma around the topics every step of the way.
In fact, a clip of the actor-filmmaker candidly discussing his HIV status has recently resurfaced, and fans are applauding him for speaking so openly about his health challenges while also sharing a message of optimism and hope.
Back in 2022, Tierney was a guest on comedian Zach Noe Towers’ podcast Good Morning, Sodomites!—well before most of the world knew the power of the phrase, “I’m coming to the cottage.”
At the time, he was perhaps best known as the co-creator and star of Canadian sitcom Letterkenny, so while technically promoting that series, he & Towers appear to have already been good friends, and their fantastic rapport keeps things loose & funny as they gabbed about a wide range of topics, from dog food to narcissistic exes to their p*rn preferences.
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“I mean, if you are under the impression this is a documentary, you’ve really come to the wrong spot.”
But it’s when the podcast host asked Tierney about how being Diabetic has impacted his sex life that the conversation turned toward his status:
“As you know, I am undetectable, I’m HIV-positive undetectable,” Tierney shared at the time. “And I acquired HIV when I was 34, and it was really, really bad. I got very, very very sick, lost a lot of weight, had a lot of bad medical complications that a lot of people don’t.”
In his words, whoever gave it to him was “off their meds” and was “very high viral,” “so please stay on your meds,” he said while looking into the camera.
As Towers clarifies, this was “post-cocktail”—a time beginning in ’96 when HIV was treated with a therapy combining antiretroviral drugs that significantly reduced fatalities, making the disease a more manageable chronic condition—yet only a year before the introduction of PrEP, according to Tierney.
Unfortunately, after that, the filmmaker also developed Type 1 diabetes and got really sick again because of it, yet his doctor thought the symptoms might’ve been a reaction to the medication he was already taking, so he went undiagnosed for many months.
It was his other doctor—the one he went to for HIV treatment—that finally diagnoses his diabetes, and not a moment too soon: apparently he was only two weeks away from complete kidney failure, or “a coma nobody could ever get you out of.” Thank goodness for thorough medical professionals!
“There was like a year and a half where I just was basically dying all the time,” Tierney revealed. “And that period of time definitely changed the way that I approach a lot of things, because the thing they tell you when you get HIV is that this is easier to live with than Type 1 diabetes, which is 100% true, but the stigma is insane. So then getting Type 1 diabetes the next year… it just takes a long time to recalibrate into just feeling a normal, functioning, healthy person.”
In terms of HIV, Tierney is a “full disclosure person,” reminding Towers that in Canada it is considered a criminal offense by not disclosing, even if undetectable, because “the laws have not officially caught up yet.”
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I reported my hookup for disclosing his HIV status after sex. Was I wrong?
“Hi Jake, I still can’t believe what just happened. So, I dated a guy for a few weeks that I met on Hinge. I finally spent the night at his place, and we hooked up that night and again the next morning. I stayed most of the day and was getting ready to leave when… he told me he’s HIV-positive.”
Though this podcast was initially recorded in spring of ’22, Towers savvily uploaded it in full to his YouTube channel in light of Heated Rivalry‘s success launching Tierney to new levels of fame & acclaim. In the months since, fans have flocked to the video’s comments, sharing their appreciation for the showrunner’s wit & candor, even when discussing heavier topics like his status.
“I can see why Jacob [is] such a magnificent director,” one viewer writes. “The open communication and ease with which he discusses the most intimate details must make actors know exactly what he is aiming for. What a gift to the world he is.”
“[It’s] moving how open, vulnerable and real he is,” adds another, “willing to not protect ego but shared a [life lived] honestly… Many will hear Jacob’s story and be strengthened.”
And this week on X, user @_mika60_ shared the clip of Tierney discussing his dual diagnoses, which has since gone viral to the tune of nearly 400k views and counting. They highlighted just how far we’ve come in terms of HIV treatment and stigma, reminding us how lucky we are to have artists like Tierney still with us, “creating beautiful things” and sharing them with the world.
“Here in NYC the scars left by the worst era of HIV/AIDS are still fresh and likely permanent,” @_mika60_ shares in the thread. If anyone still doubts Jacob’s intentions behind queer joy storytelling, I don’t know what more to say, really.
They continue: “Also important to remember that those diagnosed today can live completely normal lives due to significant, wonderful advancements in prevention and treatment. What’s critical still is ensuring that all marginalized communities around the world receive the same level of care!”
So in case you need a reminder that not all of fandoms are toxic, here’s a Heated Rivalry fan not only sharing Jacob Tierney’s story, but taking the opportunity to advocate for HIV care & education around the world!
You can watch the rest of Jacob Tierney’s conversation with Zach Noe Towers on the Good Morning, Sodomites! podcast at the embed above, or listen to it right here. And for mrer from Towers, don’t miss his new stand-up special Twink Death, which drops April 24 on his YouTube channel.
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