François Arnaud has unfollowed the cast of Heated Rivalry and others associated with the series on social media following what is described as sustained online harassment linked to dating speculation.

The 40-year-old actor has unfollowed co-stars Hudson Williams, Robbie G.K. and Connor Storrie, as well as series creator Jacob Tierney. According to Just Jared, Arnaud reduced the number of accounts he follows from more than 1,000 to 213 within the past week, prompting widespread discussion among fans of the show.

The move comes after Arnaud was seen leaving JFK airport with Storrie following a promotional press week in New York, which led to dating rumours online. Some fans reportedly expressed dissatisfaction, suggesting Storrie would be better paired with Williams fuelling further debate across social platforms.

Photo: Backgrid

Fans reacted strongly on X, with one writing, “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.” Another commented, “They need to leave this gentle king alone,” while a third questioned the decision, saying, “The comments and harassment is horrible and unjustified, but I don’t get unfollowing his cast members?”

Others expressed concern about the impact on the show’s future.

Arnaud has previously spoken about feeling overwhelmed by the attention surrounding the series. During an appearance on Sirius XM’s The Morning Mashup, he said, “I’m like, ‘Oh delete Instagram now.’” He later added, “This is how it should end. This is my happy ending.”