'Heated Rivalry' stars condemn 'hateful' fan engagement / Photo: Michael Tran - AFP
'Heated Rivalry' stars condemn 'hateful' fan engagement
A star of the massively popular Canadian show "Heated Rival" has hit back against an avalanche of hateful online posts, with the hockey drama's success stirring up a frenzy online.
The show about the budding careers and secret relationship of two young male hockey stars — one Canadian, one Russian — over a series of years, has become a global phenomenon.
But it has also inspired particularly intense fan engagement across social media, including homophobic and racist comments.
Lead actor Hudson Williams, who plays Canadian hockey star Shane Hollander, addressed the issue in an Instagram post, saying: "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,'" he posted on Monday.
The same post was shared by several others involved in the show, including actor Francois Arnaud, show-runner Jacob Tierney as well as Rachel Reid, who wrote the hockey‑themed queer romance novels that inspired the "Heated Rivalry."
The first season of "Heated Rivalry" has turned previously unknown cast members into global stars, including Williams and co‑star Connor Storrie.
After premiering on the Canadian streaming platform Crave in late November, the series hit HBO Max and took off, becoming one of its most popular shows by Christmas.
Variety called it "the biggest TV surprise" of 2025.
But those involved in the show have increasingly raised alarm about what they have termed toxic fan engagement.
Tierney warned that people had said "horrible things about my actors and about characters," in a recent podcast interview.
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