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Are Connor Storrie & Francois Arnaud Courting From Heated Rivalry?
Jan
François Arnaud, Connor Storrie, Hudson Williams, and Robbie G.Ok. are among the many Heated Rivalry forged members who’ve grow to be family names after the Crave unique sequence’ huge success over the 2025 vacation season. However the forged’s newfound fame has additionally include some adverse unwanted effects, particularly on-line harassment from entitled viewers.
Heated Rivalry follows the key romance between rival skilled hockey gamers, Canadian Shane Hollander (performed by Williams) and Russian Ilya Rozanov (performed by Storrie). Arnaud and G.Ok. play the sequence’ second foremost couple, American ice hockey participant Scott Hunter and smoothie store barista Christopher “Kip” Brady, who even have a secret romance earlier than Scott comes out publicly towards the tip of the season. Following the success of the sequence, all eyes have been on the Heated Rivalry forged’s private {and professional} lives, which led to drama in the midst of January 2026 after Arnaud and Storrie sparked hypothesis that they have been courting. Learn on for an explainer on what occurred.
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Are François Arnaud and Connor Storrie courting from Heated Rivalry?
As of writing, Arnaud and Storrie haven’t confirmed their relationship, nonetheless, they sparked hypothesis they have been courting after they have been photographed leaving New York collectively on January 14, 2026. Each Arnaud and Storrie have been photographed at John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport, the place Storrie was seen in a jean jacket, and Arnaud wore a navy puffer jacket.
After the images went viral, Arnaud confronted on-line harassment from followers on social media, which led Arnaud to unfollow his total Heated Rivalry forged, together with Storrie, Hudson Williams, and Robbie G.Ok., on his Instagram. He additionally unfollowed the sequence’ creator Jacob Tierney. In accordance with Simply Jared, his following record went from 1,000 to 213. Arnaud has since re-followed most of his forged once more.
“François Arnaud has unfollowed everybody concerned with Heated Rivalry on Instagram together with the entire forged and creator Jacob Tierney. “Nasty feedback and on-line harassment appear to have triggered François to restrict his on-line presence,” a consumer wrote on X, whereas one other tweeted, “They should depart this light king alone.”
Another consumer wrote, “The feedback and harassment is horrible and unjustified, however I don’t get unfollowing his forged members?” Different customers questioned whether or not Arnaud would return for Season 2 of Heated Rivalry. “If due to poisonous followers we don’t get François Arnaud in season 2 of HEATED Rivalry I’m gonna lose my fucking thoughts consider me,” a consumer wrote. One other tweeted, “Saying françois isn’t serving to by unfollowing any accounts associated to the present. HE IS GETTING DEATH THREATS.” Another wrote, “THE QUEER MAN ON THIS SHOW IS GETTING DEATH THREATS. & you suppose he’s simply being ‘messy’ and ‘asking for consideration’ this fandom is full of people that belong in padded rooms.”
After his huge unfollowing, Arnaud shared an Instagram submit of him flipping off the digicam, seemingly in response to the web harassment he obtained. His submit additionally included images of Williams flipping off the digicam on the Golden Globes. “Studying from the perfect. 👑 @hudsonwilliamsofficial,” he captioned the submit.
Arnad got here out as bisexuality in an Instagram Story for Bi Visibility Day in September 2020. “Final week, I used to be chatting with work buddies, and as I introduced up a visit I’d taken with an ex-girlfriend, I requested myself —for the ten-thousandth time— the best way to inform such a narrative with out making it seem to be that was the entire story of me,” he wrote on the time.
He continued, “I’m positive many bisexual guys really feel the identical and find yourself doing as I did: letting different individuals’s assumptions of straightness stand uncorrected. Maybe out of worry of oversharing. Below the guise of privateness, possibly. Most likely as a result of ‘masculinity’ is a most fragile foreign money, able to nose-dive on the first signal of vulnerability or distinction. And since it’s actually fucking scary to surrender your privilege. No doubt as a result of stigmas of indecisiveness, infidelity, deception and trendiness are nonetheless clinging to bisexuality.”
He ended his submit by explaining why he needed to publicly come out as bisexual. “However right here’s the factor. Silence has the perverse impact of perpetuating these stereotypes, making bi guys invisible, and main individuals to doubt that we even exist. No surprise it’s nonetheless a chore to acknowledge bisexuality with out stepping into prolonged explanations,” he wrote. “So sure, labels are irritating and phrases, imperfect. However I’ve all the time thought-about myself bisexual. Not confused or making an attempt to look edgy. Not disloyal. Not ashamed. Not invisible. Joyful #bivisibilityday this Wednesday.”
In an interview with Selection after his debut on Heated Rivalry in December 2025, Arnaud additionally defined his choice to come back out as bisexual on Instagram. “The one cause I mentioned one thing…is as a result of I didn’t really feel ashamed of it,” he mentioned. “I felt hiding it, concealing it actively, which I might have needed to do at that time, was an act that indicated disgrace. I used to be like, ‘That’s not how I really feel.’ I mentioned it as a result of I didn’t wish to cover. However I’m not significantly all in favour of speaking about my relationships, or all that. I don’t wish to invite individuals into my residence.”
Arnaud additionally addressed a remark made by Tierney in an interview with Xtra, the place Tierney was requested whether or not the real-life sexualities of Williams and Storrie, have been related to the sequence. “I don’t suppose there’s any cause to get into that stuff,” Tierney mentioned on the time. “I’ll let you know one thing in regards to the casting of each of those roles. You may’t ask questions like that once you’re casting, proper? It’s truly towards the legislation. So what you need to gauge is someone’s enthusiasm and willingness to do the work.”
He continued, “And that’s what’s so spectacular about each of those guys is that they got here into this being like, ‘Yeah, we’re right here to do that, and we’re right here to make this story really feel genuine and to be as actual as potential.’ They usually fucking hit it out of the park.”
In his interview with Selection, Arnaud additionally agreed that the forged’s real-life sexualities don’t have relevance to the characters they’re taking part in. “It’s absurd to suppose that try to be allowed to ask about somebody’s sexuality after they’re making an attempt to get employed for a job,” he mentioned. “It’s loopy, like we’re solely going to rent you in the event you’re homosexual? After which it’s, like, how homosexual are you? It’s a spectrum.”
