Hudson Williams and François Arnaud Tell Racist, Homophobic Fans 'Get The F*** Out'

Cast members of the hit series Heated Rivalry issued a blunt, simultaneous social-media rebuke to toxic sections of the fanbase, telling hateful fans to “get the f*** out of here” and explicitly listing the kinds of abuse they will not tolerate.

“March 9, 2026 Gabriel Oviedo The cast of Heated Rivalry is drawing a clear line when it comes to toxic behavior online”

SentidoG

The statement — shared by Hudson Williams and François Arnaud and amplified by others connected to the show — warned: “Don’t call yourself a fan if you share racist/homophobic/biphobic/misogynist/ageist/ableist/parasocial/bigoted comments of any kind,” and added, “None of us need your hateful ‘love.’”

SentidoG

SentidoG described the Instagram message as “aimed at stopping that cycle before it escalated further.”

Hudson Williams, who plays Asian-Canadian hockey star Shane Hollander, spoke out amid targeted racist and queerphobic harassment: sources report entire X (Twitter) accounts devoted to posting hate about him and that early online pressure included bullying to force him to disclose his sexuality and later death threats.

The Star Observer noted Williams’ Korean heritage and described how he was “criticised and bullied into revealing whether he himself is queer, with subsequent rumours that he was dating a woman leading to death threats online,” while SentidoG said fans “have flooded social media with commentary about the actors, sometimes veering into personal attacks.”

South China Morning Post

Williams also pushed back on the haters in interviews, saying he only respects the opinions of people who have a “developed frontal cortex.”

François Arnaud, who plays Scott Hunter, has faced sustained biphobia and ageism from parts of the fandom, including being called a “hag,” accused of being a “groomer” or “creepy pedo,” and receiving death threats.

““Get The F*** Out Of Here”: The Heated Rivalry Cast Have Addressed Toxic Fans With A Pointed Statement Heated Rivalry stars Hudson Williams and François Arnaud have taken to social media to condemn online hate comments from their fandom, posting simultaneously on Instagram”

Star Observer

Star Observer documented that “Arnaud a proud and out bisexual has not only had to deal with with sprees of biphobia, but also, bafflingly for someone so hot, ageism, with the term “hag” often used by his haters,” and that he “has been bombarded with death threats, and called a “groomer” and a “creepy pedo”.”

The same outlet reported Arnaud briefly unfollowed castmates and blocked Twitter, telling Men’s Health: “I don’t want to know what people are saying in that cesspool.”

South China Morning Post noted Arnaud also shared the cast’s social-media message condemning abuse.

Other cast members pushed back against fan-driven narratives and defended colleagues: co-star Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova used International Women’s Day to call out assumptions about women’s presence at industry events, writing, “Since it's Women's Day, I want to say that the women you see at industry events are there because they deserve to be in those rooms.”

She later clarified: “Also, if you're using this tweet to criticize my co-stars, you missed the point.”

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SentidoG said Kharlamova’s message spread among fans, and the broader cast statement was framed as an attempt to halt a cycle of hostility rather than to single out individuals.

The backlash appears tied to the show’s rapid success and intense online fandom: outlets described Heated Rivalry’s “meteoric success” and warned that the enthusiasm has produced “particularly intense fan engagement across social media, including homophobic and racist comments.”

“Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams condemns racist and homophobic fan comments The Canadian show about a romance between two male hockey players has become a global phenomenon but also stirred an online frenzy A star of the massively popular Canadian show Heated Rivalry has hit back against an avalanche of hateful online posts, with the hockey drama’s success stirring up a frenzy online”

South China Morning Post

Reporting noted fans’ parasocial entitlement — from rumours about real-life relationships to coordinated negativity — and described how the cast tried to calm and redirect that energy rather than engage with individual trolls.

South China Morning Post

SentidoG summarized the dynamic: “The Instagram message appeared aimed at stopping that cycle before it escalated further.”