François Arnaud has opened up about the wave of online harassment he’s faced following speculation about his relationship with Heated Rivalry co-star Connor Storrie.
Speaking to the Toronto Star, the 40-year-old actor said most fans have been “incredibly positive and respectful”, but admitted some reactions have crossed the line.
“For the ones that aren’t, I think it’s a lot of younger fans who don’t really understand the difference between reality and fiction,” he shared.
The online backlash, which reportedly included death threats, intensified after Arnaud and Storrie were photographed leaving JFK Airport together last week following a press tour in New York. The sighting was enough to ignite dating rumours between the Canadian actor and his 25-year-old co-star, who plays Ilya Rozanov in the hit Crave/HBO Max series.
For some fans, the online chatter blurred fiction with reality — with parts of the fandom arguing that Storrie should instead be romantically linked to Hudson Williams, who plays his on-screen rival and secret lover Shane Hollander. “I honestly wish they would just rewatch the show, because it doesn’t seem like they got its message,” Arnaud said. “Pay attention more closely. Did we watch the same show?”
Adding to the noise, Arnaud appeared to unfollow multiple cast and crew members last week — including Storrie, Williams and creator Jacob Tierney — before later re‑adding them.
Addressing the move, he explained to the Toronto Star that it was purely a technical issue: “What’s happening is that I’m unfollowing everyone, and Instagram won’t let me do that all at once. You can only unfollow a certain amount of people over 24 hours, which I did not know at the time.”
Around the same time, Arnaud also shared a photo of himself and Williams giving the middle finger, which some interpreted as a clap-back at critics. The actor, however, said it was part of a long-running Instagram series. “It’s completely unrelated to that,” he explained.
He continued, “I mean, ‘completely’ maybe would be a lie, but mostly unrelated to that. I’ve done these ‘spot the differences’ posts for a long time, and I just thought it was nice to do something with Hudson, and that’s it.”
Despite taking the harassment in stride, Arnaud admitted the experience has made him rethink certain aspects of his personal life including his living situation.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, maybe a little bungalow with street access, not on a gated property, is not the best thing’,” he said. “So yeah, I’m moving into a building with a doorman.”
Although the passionate fanbase propelled the queer sports drama into a breakout hit, we do have to keep it together. When investment in fictional relationships turns into a sense of ownership over real people’s lives, it can morph into something more toxic.
Lead image: Heated Rivalry / Getty
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