Oliver Stark, who plays Buck on ABC’s 9-1-1 took to social media following the series’s 100th episode, sharing that he’s “humbled and overwhelmed†by the positive response to his character’s surprise (to some) same-sex kiss. While Buck has been a part of the first responder procedural for all seven seasons, this latest episode is the first official exploration of the character’s bisexuality, by way of a kiss shared with his new friend Tommy (Louis Ferrigno Jr.).
“I’ve read so many of your messages and I couldn’t be prouder,†he wrote in an Instagram story, before addressing the concurrent negative reaction as well. “If you are one of the smaller group of people commenting on my posts about how this has ruined the show, I would like you to know that I truly don’t care. This is a show about love and inclusion. It’s featured queer relationships from the very beginning, including a beautiful Black lesbian marriage played out by two of the best actresses I’ve ever watched. If one other character finding a new facet to his sexuality and realizing his bisexuality is your deal breaker — I fear you’ve missed the entire point of the show.â€
Naturally, this storyline was all playing out in an episode that also featured a wannabe Bachelor contestant supergluing herself to the Bachelor Mansion driveway in front of Joey Graziadei.