Heated Rivalry Cast Condemns Fan Abuse

Stars of the popular queer hockey romance series Heated Rivalry have publicly condemned online abuse from some fans, urging respect among their followers in a joint social media statement.

Hudson Williams and François Arnaud, two of the show's lead actors, posted the message on their Instagram Stories on Monday. The statement, which was also shared by costars Robbie Graham-Kuntz and Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, as well as show creator Jacob Tierney and author Rachel Reid, read: "Don’t call yourself a fan if you share racist homophobic biphobic misogynist ageist ableist parasocial bigoted comments of any kind. 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 actors did not specify particular incidents in the post, but it appears to address a pattern of harassment that has targeted cast members since the show's release late last year. Williams, who is half Korean, has faced racist comments, including scrutiny of his Letterboxd film reviews and accusations of queerbaiting due to his friendships with male costars while being in a relationship with a woman. Arnaud, who identifies as...