6 hours ago
François Arnaud Unfollows Then Re-Follows 'Heated Rivalry' Cast And Creator Amid Online Harassment
READ TIME: 2 MIN.
François Arnaud, the 40-year-old Canadian actor starring in the LGBTQ+ series Heated Rivalry, sparked concern among fans on January 16, 2026, when he unfollowed his co-stars and the show's creator on Instagram as part of a broader purge of his account. His follower count dropped from around 1, 000 to 193 accounts, including unfollowing co-stars Hudson Williams, Connor Storrie, Robbie GK, and creator Jacob Tierney. By the time of reporting, Arnaud had re-followed all of them, easing fans'worries.
The incident came amid reports of Arnaud facing hateful comments, online threats, and harassment from supposed fans of the show. On the same day, Arnaud posted on Instagram a grid of four photos showing co-star Hudson Williams and himself making rude gestures, with middle fingers covered by heart emojis. He captioned it "Learning from the very best"with a crown emoji, tagging Williams. Williams responded with a middle finger emoji, a heart, and "love u. "
Fans on X expressed alarm, with one posting: “François Arnaud has unfollowed everyone involved with Heated Rivalry on Instagram including the whole cast and creator Jacob Tierney. Nasty comments and online harassment seem to have caused François to limit his online presence. ” Despite the backlash, Arnaud has championed the series, praising his co-stars'performances.
Heated Rivalry, streaming now, centers on hockey players Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander in a steamy enemies-to-lovers romance. Arnaud plays Scott Hunter, who stars in the series'third episode focusing on his romance with Kip . The couple shares an emotional arc, including a public coming-out kiss in episode five. In a recent CBS Mornings interview, Arnaud expressed hope for season two, saying, “I’m hoping to see what reality has in store for them. A relationship between someone who’s uber famous, has a giant platform and someone who didn’t choose that for themselves, there are still challenges that come with that. ”
