Heated Rivalry stars Hudson Williams and François Arnaud have released a joint statement condemning “racist” and “homophobic” comments from fans of the HBO Max show.
“Don’t call yourself a fan if you share racist / homophobic / biphobic / misogynistic / ageist/ ableist / parasocial/ bigoted comments of any kind,” Williams, 25, and Arnaud, 40, posted via their Instagram Stories on Monday, March 9. “None of us need your hateful ‘love.’”
Their statement concluded, “We all respect and support and love each other and are on the same side. If you can’t accept that gtfoh.”
Williams later offered some context on the statement — which was also shared by their Heated Rivalry costar Robbie G.K. — in a now-deleted exchange with a fan via Threads on Monday. The fan suggested that Williams had received “severe racial abuse, primarily from François and Connor fans” and claimed that his “no one from the production team and his white costars could defend [Williams] without him needing to cosign.”
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“It was François’s idea [to release the statement] and I helped write,” Williams responded to the fan. “I don’t scroll comments so I did not see the hate. I was vibing watching figure skating highlights.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Williams and Arnaud’s representatives for comment. (Williams plays Japanese-Canadian hockey star Shane Hollander on Heated Rivalry while Arnaud portrays American player Scott Hunter.)
Heated Rivalry’s fanbase has ignited intense debate around the hockey drama since it premiered on Crave and HBO Max late last year.
Williams told Wonderland in January that he was surprised by the number of “disrespectful” people within the Heated Rivalry fandom.
“I didn’t think there would be as many disrespectful people as there are. And vice versa, I didn’t think there would be as many respectful people as there are,” he explained. “I thought everyone would just be screaming, nice, or kind of like, ‘Oh my God.’ But there are people who are like, ‘No, let’s be respectful to him and his private life. Let’s not share these photos. When we approach him on the street, let’s be mindful of appropriate times.’ I’m seeing those comments, and that’s cool.”
Williams went on, “Then there are disrespectful people who are just like, ‘F*** that guy.’ And I’m like, holy s***. Why are people hating on me? There’s also all this fake news about me. And I’m like, ‘How do I already have fake news?’”
Francois Arnaud, Hudson Williams in “Heated Rivalry.” Courtesy HBO Max / Courtesy Everett CollectionArnaud has also been a target for backlash within the Heated Rivalry community. He briefly unfollowed some of his castmates and series creator Jacob Tierney via Instagram in January amid the backlash but soon refollowed them all.
The actor told The Toronto Star in January that a majority of his interactions with Heated Rivalry had been positive.
“In general, fans have been incredibly positive and respectful. 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 suggested. “I honestly wish they would just rewatch the show, because it doesn’t seem like they got its message. Pay attention more closely. Did we watch the same show?”
Heated Rivalry season 1 — which is based on author Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novels — is available to stream via Crave in Canada and HBO Max in the U.S. A second season is in the works.
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