KAYLEE HEARTMAN / DAILY NEXUS
In contemporary media and entertainment, the surge of queer characters and stories throughout movies, television shows, literature and other mediums in recent years symbolizes a triumph in the context of the broader movement for queer liberation. Not only are we seeing a greater prevalence of diverse stories in mainstream media — beyond queerness, the intersectionality of a character’s race, gender, social status, etc. — but the narratives granted to these characters similarly exhibit a deviation from heteronormative society and traditional storytelling and tropes. This is not intended to besmirch or discredit classic queer works such as “Brokeback Mountain,” “Desert Hearts” or “Maurice” but simply to commend the admirable work of all creatives working to depict the remarkable vastness of queer identities and relationships. Contemporary media has expanded the narratives of queer characters, no longer relying on harmful stereotyping or confining queer romance to tragedy. Despite this, the expansion of queer representation in mainstream media in recent years has also introduced several concerning challenges to both creators and consumers of media involving queerness. Most prominently, there has been an overwhelming, even disturbing obsession with the private lives and romantic pursuits of actors and actresses who play these roles.
Much can be said about the nuances and difficulties of the general population’s parasocial relationships with celebrities, but with the massive success of HBO Max’s new series “Heated Rivalry,” the aforementioned issue of audiences preoccupying themselves with the sexual identity of the people who play these roles has become harshly illuminated. On X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and other social media platforms, I’ve seen hundreds of invasive, ruthless and blatantly hurtful comments and posts regarding the personal lives of the show’s leads, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, and most recently their co-star François Arnaud.
“Are they really gay? Who are they dating? If they’re that comfortable on screen, why don’t they just ‘come out’ in real life?” The last of these cliché audience demands is of particular interest, as it encapsulates the radical hypocrisy of these remarks. While the show and its actors have received tremendous praise for their electrifying chemistry and passionate commitment during filming, this acclamation feels somewhat hollow, as though it’s been applauded as one of the program’s greatest strengths, it’s also the primary source of its ridicule. It’s painfully ironic that we as an audience are happy to consume the raw, passionate story of main characters Shane and Ilya’s romance on screen, but are in the same breath critiquing and diminishing the power of their performance for the same reason that it has received such adulation. I understand and commiserate with the desire of queer audiences to know that actors playing the narratives of our real lives can relate to the characters they embody on a personal level, but it’s also imperative that we consequently recognize the very palpable concerns and fears these actors may have about being scrutinized, labeled or pressured to reveal facets of their identity, whether or not those assumptions are accurate. If we fail to do so, we submit these real people — regardless of their profession — to the very challenges and perils that the characters in the shows we love to watch face, transforming an artistic narrative into a personal reality. Consumers of queer media cannot be complicit in perpetrating the norms heteronormative society demands, specifically by forcing these individuals to “come out” for the sole purpose of eliciting judgment or approval. In light of the probing questions and derisive remarks made against the cast of “Heated Rivalry,” it feels reminiscent of two other queer celebrities faced with similar attacks to their personal lives: Kit Connor and Billie Eilish.
Connor, a 21-year-old British actor noted for his prominent rise to fame after his role in Netflix’s hit series “Heartstopper,” experienced a disconcertingly similar treatment from audiences due to his portrayal as Nick Nelson, a bisexual teenager coming to terms with his sexuality as new feelings develop for his friend Charlie Spring, played by Joe Locke. While Locke was exempt from the majority of harassment and aggression from audiences, Connor — only 18 at the time — was subject to enormous pressure and scorn from audiences who questioned his personal sexual orientation and claimed he was personally “queerbaiting,” defined as “a marketing technique involving intentional homoeroticism or suggestions of LGBTQ+ themes intended to draw in an LGBTQ+ audience, without explicit inclusion of openly LGBTQ+ relationships, characters or people.” This term in and of itself is quite layered (and seems to be a new favorite pop culture buzzword among X users and internet trolls alike), yet regardless, the young actor suffered immense contempt from consumers of the show. In October 2022, Connor tweeted: “I’m bi. Congrats for forcing an 18-year-old to out himself. I think some of you missed the point of the show.”
The post, though blunt, exemplifies the central issues concerning these witch hunts for authenticating an actor’s own sexual orientation: by coercing actors to share the deepest aspects of their personality, we not only deny them the right of their agency over their identity, but more dishearteningly, demonstrate that we failed to understand the very purpose of the media we consume.
Similarly, Eilish — though not primarily acknowledged for her acting — experienced tribulations comparable to those of Connor and the “Heated Rivalry” cast after the release of her “Lost Cause” music video in June 2021. Eilish, only 20 years old at the time, received an unforeseeable onslaught of backlash and accusations from fans who confidently proclaimed that her music video was rife with “queerbaiting” behavior. Beyond the conspicuous and prevalent issue of audiences continuing to pressure celebrities into conformity through an invasive level of access to their personal lives, the harassment from audiences exposed another problem with the obsessions with the personal lives of celebrities: the presumption of heterosexuality. Eilish captioned the post promoting her video with “i love girls;” a blatant statement, yet the intense critiques she received from the public highlight the paradoxical foolishness of audiences who demand unrestricted access to a celebrity’s sexual orientation. Even when presented with unfiltered honesty from the individual themselves, the norms of heteronormative society inherently dilute audiences’ perspectives — what Eilish said or did not say was inconsequential in a society whose own rubric for the authenticity of an actor’s sexuality rests upon heteronormative standards. In a later interview conducted in 2023, Eilish even stated, “I kind of thought, wasn’t it obvious? … I just didn’t realize people didn’t know.”
Once again, we recognize that when we are preoccupied with this desperation for veracity, we not only constrain queer celebrities into harmful, reductive narratives, but simultaneously hinder the possibilities for our own acceptance and understanding when our favorite TV stars or music icons are brave enough to share their personal stories.
While it’s no surprise that the crusade for authenticity has continued against the “Heated Rivalry” cast, specifically Williams, Storrie and most recently Arnaud, director Jacob Tierney has valiantly positioned himself at the foreground of their defense. In a recent interview with Variety, Tierney claimed that “the real-life sexualities of his stars are irrelevant compared to the ‘enthusiasm and willingness’ they bring to HBO’s new queer, sports drama series.”
He furthered his protection of the rising stars with the calm yet comprehensive statement, “I don’t think there’s any reason to get into that stuff.” By redirecting questions concerning the sexuality of the actors and transforming them into compliments toward the dedication and passion of Williams and Storrie, Tierney provides an appropriate, respectable foundation for discussions surrounding the personal lives of the show’s actors.
While Tierney’s, as well as Williams and Storrie’s interviewing campaigns have proved moderately effective in placating the aggressive prying of audiences, recent developments concerning French actor Arnaud have reinstated the harm caused by the intrusive questioning of the actor’s sexual identity. After pictures were released of Arnaud and Storrie at media events and at the same airport last week, the 40-year-old actor was plagued by nasty comments, online harassment and even menacing, homophobic threats via the internet and in person. Consequently, the actor — who came out in 2020 as bisexual in an interview with Andy Cohen — mass unfollowed other individuals associated with “Heated Rivalry.” Not only does my heart go out to Arnaud, as hatred has forced him to sever himself from his friends and castmates, but I find it infuriating that the audiences responsible for his isolation can label themselves as fans of the show. The treatment of Arnaud both captures the very tangible challenges that these celebrities face even when they submit to the invasive demands of audiences and, paramountly, illuminates the tragic irony of what queer actors or actors that play queer roles experience: the failure of audiences to critically engage with and truly understand the media they are consuming.
The responses to actors and other celebrities — who have publicly shared their sexual identity or not — that play queer roles exemplifies the inadequacies and shortcomings of audiences who consume queer media. If we watch, listen or give our attention to these pieces of queer media, yet continue to obsess over the personal lives of the actors who play the characters in them and subject them to accusations of queerbaiting, harassment, homophobia and threats then we’ve shamefully failed to understand the very message these individuals are attempting to relay. In a conversation with my friend Sophia Vogt, a fourth-year English and political science double major, she thoughtfully stated: “It’s sad that we as an audience are complicit in perpetuating the societal norms that stipulate actors to ‘come out’ … By making queerness a spectacle, we undermine the purpose of these shows to normalize queerness.”
However, all hope is not lost. Despite the attacks that the “Heated Rivalry” cast has endured, the program has also served as a glorious inspiration for athletes in the real world. In the last week, college baseball players Aiden Phipps and Cole Philpott felt emboldened by Shane and Ilya’s story to share their own beautiful romance. In similarly exciting news, real-life hockey player Jesse Kortuem was motivated to share his own journey.
“Never in my life did I think something so positive and loving could come from such a masculine sport … Today, I took the step to finally tell my hockey journey and my story,” he stated in an interview with Out Magazine.
Though there is still much work to be done to extricate celebrities involved in queer media from audiences’ crazed obsession with authenticating their personal sexuality, these moving stories signify the power of queer media when we distance ourselves from this reductive preoccupation. When we cease to demand that celebrities conform to the heteronormative concept of “coming out,” these actors and pieces of media can be realized in their full capacity: in broader terms, a beacon of hope for the queer community, and more importantly, a source of comfort and inspiration for individuals who simply need someone to encourage themselves to embrace their own identities.
Ethan Griffin believes audiences are hot and bothered about all the wrong things when it comes to the fiery romance of HBO Max’s new hit series “Heated Rivalry.”
A version of this article appeared on p. 12 of the January 22, 2026 edition of the Daily Nexus.
