Taking to Instagram, actor Oliver Stark condemned homophobic reactions to the latest 9-1-1 episode, aired on Thursday, April 4, on ABC. Titled ‘Buck, Bothered and Bewildered’, the 100^th episode of the famous TV series features a kiss between Stark’s character Evan ‘Buck’ Buckley and Tommy Kinard, played by Lou Ferrigno Jr.

In the scene, both characters have a chat in which Buck shares how he tried to get Tommy’s attention. The sexual chemistry between the two is undeniable as Tommy leans in for a kiss, leaving Buck stunned. The seventh season of the show just started airing, giving Buck an exciting new queer storyline, as shown in the fourth episode.

The unexpected intimate moment was applauded by fans as it confirms Buck’s bisexuality, a long-awaited storyline introducing new queer representation on TV.

After comments poured in, Oliver Stark took to Instagram to thank the fans for supporting the show after 100 episodes and for their positive reaction to Buck’s character development, saying: “Thank you all for loving Buck as much as I do…”

 

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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Oliver Stark (@oliverstarkk)

Other viewers commented on the star’s social media, saying this development “ruined the show.” To these homophobic comments, Oliver Stark responded with a powerful statement on his Instagram story, shared on Saturday, April 6. He initially acknowledged the positive and euphoric reaction from most of the fans, writing: “Humbled and overwhelmed by the positive reaction to Buck’s storyline. I’ve read so many of your messages, and I couldn’t be prouder.”

Then, addressing the online trolls flooding his socials with biphobic comments, he continued: “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 finds a new facet to his sexuality and realising his bisexuality is your deal breaker – I fear you’ve missed the entire point of the show”, Oliver Stark wrote.

The British-born actor concluded his statement by saying: “You are not required to announce your departure”.

Before the episode aired, Stark shared his excitement about his character’s new storyline. In an interview with Variety regarding the show’s new queer love story, the actor stated, “I think it’s deserved, and I think it’s earned — and I am excited to get the chance to tell it.”

In another interview with Entertainment Weekly, Stark discussed what is next for Buck’s journey discovering his bisexuality:

“Certainly for somebody finding this in their 30s, they’d be questioning, right? “What does this mean?” “Who am I?” “What about all these things that I thought to be true of myself?” And so there’s some reckoning to deal with in the next episode, and then leaning on the people that are closest to him, and finding the right moments to open up and how much to share.”

9-1-1 first aired on Fox in 2018 and moved on to ABC for the sixth season. Created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear, the TV series follows the lives of first aids, notably firefighter Buck, played by Oliver Stark since the beginning of the show, and Tommy, a fellow firefighter who is now an LAFD air operation pilot.