AceShowbiz - The stars of Heated Rivalry, Hudson Williams and François Arnaud, recently addressed the surge of hateful comments circulating on social media aimed at the cast. Both actors took to their Instagram stories on Monday afternoon, posting an identical statement denouncing racism, homophobia, biphobia, misogyny, ageism, ableism, parasocial bigotry, and other forms of hate speech.

The joint message, shared shortly after 3 p.m. PT, made clear to fans and detractors alike that spreading hateful commentary under the guise of fandom is unacceptable. "Don't call yourself a fan if you share racist/homophobic/biphobic/misogynist/ageist/ableist/parasocial/bigoted comments of any kind," the post read emphatically. "None of us need your hateful 'love.'"

Williams, who portrays Shane Hollander on the series, and Arnaud, who plays Scott Hunter, have both been targeted by a wave of negative comments online. The statement also pushed back against attempts to create conflict among the cast members, highlighting their unity. "We all respect and support and love each other and are on the same side," it continued. "If you can't accept that gtfoh (get the fuck out of here)."

The backlash prompted both actors to engage further on social media. Williams responded to a discussion on Threads, explaining, "It was Francois' idea and I helped write it! I don't scroll comments so I did not see the hate. I was vibing watching figure skating highlights." Meanwhile, Arnaud has been actively replying to Instagram comments, including one which stated, "racists and haters of all kinds gtfoh."

The message resonated with other members of the cast and crew, many of whom reposted the statement in solidarity. Co-star Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova shared the statement with a heartfelt addition, urging fans to avoid spreading negativity about a show grounded in love. "Please don't make a show that's about love be hateful online," she wrote. "So much love was poured into this project and we all genuinely have so much respect for everyone involved in making this. We're not characters and neither are our real friends, partners, family and making up false narratives about us isn't 'love.'"

In a separate post on Sunday, Kharlamova addressed the timing of the online comments in relation to Women's Day. She emphasized the hard work and merit of women attending industry events, pushing back against assumptions that they are only present because of their male co-stars. "Since it's Women's Day I want to say the women you see at industry events are there [because] they are just as deserving of being in those rooms!" she wrote. "The assumption that we are there because our male costars invited us takes away the work we also put in. Celebrate women's achievements!"

Following that, Kharlamova issued a clarifying message aimed at those criticizing the male cast members. "Also if you're using this tweet to criticize my cast mates you missed the point! They are amazing!! I said CELEBRATE WOMEN not hate on male actors," she posted.

This united front from the cast demonstrates a clear rejection of online hate and division within the community surrounding Heated Rivalry. Together, Williams, Arnaud, and Kharlamova are standing against toxicity and advocating for respect and support both on and off screen.