The Moment
Francois Arnaud is not here to feed your ship fantasies – but he is apparently fine grabbing a stylish night out with his co-star.
According to entertainment reports from late January 2026, the 40-year-old actor was photographed in Paris with Heated Rivalry co-star Connor Storrie, 25, as they left a Paris Fashion Week party. Storrie kept it casual in dark jeans, a white tee and a brown shearling-collar leather jacket; Arnaud went dressier in a burgundy coat, blue sweater, tailored pants and brown boots. Very “don’t talk to me, but please do take my picture.”
The cozy Paris moment landed just days after Arnaud’s buzzy appearance on Watch What Happens Live, where host Andy Cohen asked if he was “single these days.” Arnaud’s answer? A very sharp, very clear: “None of your f-king business.” Cohen laughed it off with, “It’s not my business, but I try,” but the clip did what clips do – instantly ricocheted around the internet.
‘Heated Rivalry’ star François Arnaud harshly shuts down romance question on ‘WWHL’ as Connor Storrie rumors swirl https://t.co/sTUJ9Xure7 pic.twitter.com/ZLDc7bH2tJ
— Page Six (@PageSix) January 20, 2026
This all sits on top of ongoing fan speculation that Arnaud and Storrie might be dating, after they were previously spotted together at JFK Airport and at the Is This Thing On? premiere in Los Angeles. Online, some fans have reportedly gone from “They’re cute” to full-blown conspiracy board, pressuring Arnaud and even harassing him over who they think should be with whom.
The Take
I’ll say it: this doesn’t look like some grand romance reveal. It looks like exactly what famous people do when fandom gets weird – close ranks with the coworkers who actually get it, dress up in Paris, and let everyone else scream into the void.
What jumps out to me isn’t the Paris photos. It’s the double line in the sand: first on live TV (“none of your business”), then online, where Arnaud has been pushing back at fans who can’t separate his real life from his character’s.
Remember, Heated Rivalry is a queer hockey drama about closeted pros: Shane Hollander (played by Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (played by Connor Storrie). Their characters are rivals on the ice and secret lovers off it. Arnaud plays Scott Hunter, another closeted player whose love story helps move the main couple forward. In other words, the show is literally about the danger of collapsing performance and reality – and yet some viewers walked away thinking their job was to play casting director for people’s personal lives.
In a previous interview with Canada’s Toronto Star, Arnaud praised most fans as “incredibly positive and respectful,” but called out a smaller group – often younger – who, he said, don’t understand the difference between reality and fiction. More recent coverage says the harassment he’s received, including from fans who want Storrie romantically linked to Williams in real life, has allegedly escalated to death threats. That’s not “passionate”; that’s frightening.
The social-media drama tells its own story. Arnaud reportedly unfollowed several Heated Rivalry co-stars – including Storrie, Williams and Robbie G.K., who plays his onscreen love interest – in what looked like a purge, then quietly followed them back. He also posted a composite photo of himself and Hudson Williams flipping the middle finger, captioned, “Learning from the very best” and tagging Williams, and turned off comments. Then he pointedly urged people to rewatch the show and actually absorb its message: “Did we watch the same show?”
If this were the early-2000s, we’d call this the Brangelina problem: fans acting like they own the cast’s private lives because they bought into the chemistry. Only now there’s social media, so instead of magazine letters, it’s DMs and threats and dogpiles.
From where I’m sitting, that Paris sighting reads less like proof of a secret love affair and more like two colleagues saying, “We’re good, thanks,” in the loudest possible silent language. Cute coats, united front, zero explanations.
Receipts
- Confirmed: Arnaud and Storrie were photographed together leaving a Paris Fashion Week party, after earlier sightings at JFK Airport and the Is This Thing On? premiere, per multiple entertainment reports dated January 27, 2026.
- Confirmed: On Watch What Happens Live, when asked if he was single, Arnaud responded, “None of your f-king business,” with Andy Cohen acknowledging it wasn’t his business but that he “had to try,” as seen in widely shared broadcast clips.
- Confirmed: Arnaud has spoken in a Toronto Star interview about most fans being respectful, while noting that some younger fans struggle to distinguish fiction from reality.
- Confirmed: Recent coverage reports that Arnaud unfollowed then refollowed several Heated Rivalry co-stars on social media, posted a middle-finger composite photo with co-star Hudson Williams, tagged Williams in the caption “Learning from the very best,” and turned off comments.
- Unverified / Reported: Harassment directed at Arnaud is said in coverage to have included death threats from a subset of aggressive fans. These claims are reported by entertainment outlets but have not been independently detailed in public legal filings.
- Unverified / Speculation: Online rumors that Arnaud and Storrie are romantically involved remain exactly that – rumors. Neither has publicly confirmed a relationship, and no outlet has presented hard evidence beyond photos of them traveling and attending events together.
Backstory (For Casual Readers)
If you know Francois Arnaud at all, it might be from his role as David’s ex in Schitt’s Creek or from period dramas earlier in his career. Heated Rivalry is his jump into the current wave of LGBTQ+ sports stories – think “gritty locker-room drama meets slow-burn romance.” The series centers on two rival pro hockey players hiding a decade-long secret relationship while trying to survive in a very macho sport.
Connor Storrie, still in his mid-20s, plays Ilya Rozanov, one half of the central couple opposite Hudson Williams’ Shane Hollander. The chemistry between Storrie and Williams has clearly lit up certain corners of the internet, where fans “ship” (pair up) fictional couples and sometimes start acting like those pairings should continue when the director yells cut.
Add in Andy Cohen – whose late-night show thrives on playful, sometimes pushy personal questions – plus the high-glam stakes of Paris Fashion Week, and you’ve got the perfect storm for headlines: a privacy-guarding actor, a younger breakout co-star, and a fan base that doesn’t always know when to log off.
What’s Next
Professionally, the cast of Heated Rivalry still has a whole promo cycle ahead: more interviews, more red carpets, and likely more attempts to pry into their personal lives. After Arnaud’s very clear boundary-setting on live TV, don’t be shocked if future questions about his relationship status are met with polite shutdowns or pre-set ground rules.
Behind the scenes, it wouldn’t be surprising if publicists and show producers quietly huddle on how to address the darker side of fan behavior – especially if reports of threats continue. Statements about respecting boundaries, clearer messaging about fiction versus reality, and more posts from the cast supporting each other (without giving shippers fuel) all feel like natural next steps.
As for Arnaud and Storrie, they seem content to let the photos speak for themselves: they hang out, they travel, they hit fashion events, and they haven’t labeled it for us. That’s their right. The real story here may not be “Are they or aren’t they?” but “Why do we feel so entitled to know?”
Sources: Entertainment reports on Francois Arnaud and Connor Storrie’s Paris Fashion Week appearance and related fan reaction, published January 27, 2026; prior interview with Francois Arnaud in the Toronto Star (publication date not specified in secondary coverage), in which he discusses fan behavior around his roles.
Where do you draw the line between harmless shipping and crossing the line into a celebrity’s real life – and has social media pushed that line too far?
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