‘Heated Rivalry’ stars, Hudson Williams and François Arnaud, hit back at ‘racist, homophobic’ abuse from toxic fans

The stars of Heated Rivalry have issued a blistering joint rebuke of what they describe as “racist” and “homophobic” abuse circulating within the show’s increasingly fervent online fandom.

Hudson Williams, 25, and François Arnaud, 40 - who play rival‑turned‑romantic ice hockey stars Shane Hollander and Scott Hunter in the hit HBO Max/Crave drama - simultaneously posted a joint statement to Instagram Stories on Monday, 9 March condemning discriminatory behaviour among so‑called fans.

“Don’t call yourself a fan if you share racist, homophobic, biphobic, misogynistic, ageist, ableist, parasocial, bigoted comments of any kind,” the pair wrote. “None of us need your hateful ‘love’... We all respect and support and love each other and are on the same side. If you can’t accept that gtfoh.” 

The message was swiftly reshared by co‑stars including Robbie Graham‑Kuntz, who plays Kip Grady, as well as show creator Jacob Tierney and author Rachel Reid, whose novels inspired the series. Several cast members have spent recent months pushing back against fan‑driven speculation, false rumours and aggressive attempts to pit actors against one another online. 

Williams later clarified on Threads that the statement had been drafted collaboratively, highlighting that it was Arnaud who first suggested issuing a united front. “I don’t scroll comments so I did not see the hate. I was vibing watching figure skating highlights,” he wrote in response to a fan asking about the motivation behind the post. Arnaud likewise replied to online comments emphasising that he and Williams had written the statement together.

The backlash comes amid soaring visibility for the queer hockey romance, which premiered late last year and rapidly developed a global following. With that success has come unwelcome attention: cast members have spoken of paparazzi harassment, invasive commentary about their personal lives, and waves of vitriolic social‑media posts attempting to manufacture behind‑the‑scenes conflict.

Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, who plays Svetlana, also weighed in this week, urging viewers to stop turning a show rooted in love and LGBTQ+ representation into a breeding ground for misogyny and misinformation. “Please don’t make a show that’s about love be hateful online,” she told followers, stressing that the women of Heated Rivalry deserve recognition in their own right rather than being framed as accessories to male co‑stars.