Oliver Stark of '9-1-1' Is Not Interested In Your Homophobia

I am a longtime viewer of 9-1-1 because it is dumb fun, and because the characters have grown on me a lot over the years (which is to be expected from characters played by Angela Bassett and Peter Krause, among others). The move from Fox over to ABC this season may have also given it some new energy, now in its seventh season. The season kicked off with a three-parter set on a cruise (that also included the usual freak accidents, like a man getting his penis stuck inside his wife).

The fourth episode introduced a new twist that should not have been surprising, but I didn’t see it coming. Buck, the strapping fireman played by Oliver Stark, who has still not been able to steadily commit to anyone after seven seasons, kissed a helicopter EMT named Tommy. It is a first for Buck, who will spend the next several episodes exploring his newfound bisexuality.

However, when two men kiss on a popular show about firefighters, there will almost certainly be pushback. It’s ridiculous for anyone who has been watching this show since day one to be offended. There’s been a loving lesbian couple basically since the beginning, so to see two men kiss on a show created by Ryan Murphy means basically that it’s a day that ends in Y.

Still, there was pushback because that’s where we are as a society. In an Instagram message, however, Stark wanted nothing to do with it. Though he was “humbled and overwhelmed” by the largely positive reaction, he had a message for the homophobic minority. “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,” he said. “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,” he added.

“If one other character finding 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.”

Expect to see a lot more of Tommy for the rest of the season. By the way, if he looks familiar, it’s because he’s played by Lou Ferigno Jr., the son of the actor who played The Incredible Hulk in the late ’70s and early ’80s TV series.