Bryan Safi Reviews 9-1-1’s Queerest Fan Ships – The Good, The Niche, and the No-Go

If there’s one thing fandom loves, it’s shipping. And as far as fans of 9-1-1 are concerned, the gayer the better. 

Firefighters and best friends Buck and Eddie – known romantically as Buddie – have been at the forefront of the show’s most popular fandom ships for seven years now. Things between the pair became even more complex and delicious both on screen and in fan spaces after the former’s canonical bisexual awakening in season seven, and his messy break-up with Tommy in season eight. 

But Buddie isn’t the only non-canon 9-1-1 ship that’s been doing the rounds in fan edits and on AO3. Ever heard of Chobby (Chimney/Bobby)? Priestpatch (Josh/Father Brian)? Or Bush (Buck/Josh)? So many ships, so many thoughts. 

We needed a second opinion, so we asked 9-1-1 star Bryan Safi, who has played Josh Russo, a chronically single gay emergency-services dispatcher, since season two, for his thoughts on some of the show’s most popular (and most niche) queer fan ships. 

PinkNews: We wanted to get your thoughts and feelings on something… So, the 9-1-1 fandom, one of the great joys of it is shipping. People love shipping. 

Bryan Safi: OK.

PN: We’d like to hear your thoughts on some of the non-canon queer ships from the show, to get your general vibe, if you think the relationship would work, that kind of thing. I’ve got a list of them here, so if we go through them… The obvious first one, Buck and Eddie – Buddie – what are your thoughts and feelings on that?

BS: I think it would definitely work, and I think everyone would love to see that happen. I don’t know that it ever will, I have no idea, I’m not the writer. But it’d be cool. Why not? I don’t think there’s really any indication that it will happen. I, in many ways, love that these are two guys who respect each other, work with each other and even have intimacy in a very healthy way. So I like how they are.

BS: No, I haven’t.

PN: This is Josh and the hot priest, Father Brian. It’s “dispatch” and “priest”, so Priestpatch.   

BS: [It’s written in the stars because] my real name is Bryan. I mean, can you imagine us at lunch just talking about our names? Terrific. We’d be there for hours! [Laughs] No, I love that idea, I’m in. I have not heard that one yet, but I’m in… Priestpatch? Is that what you called it?

PN: Yeah, that’s what people call it.

BS: Obsessed! 

PN: It’s cute, right?  

BS: It’s so good, I’m in.

PN: The next one is kind of a curveball: Chimney and Bobby, also known as Chobby.

BS: First of all, if I should ever have a child, the first thing I would do is write “Chobby” on their birth certificate. I can’t think of a more stunning name. I’m all in on Chobby, at least for the name. Chim and Bobby. That’s interesting.

PN: This is a bit more niche but some people like it.

BS: Yeah, I like it, I like it. I think they complement each other very well. I’ll be honest, at first blush I sort of bristled because I thought, I could potentially see that being a lot of: “No, I do this this way…” “No, but I do this this way.” You know what I mean? Being very particular. But I could see that. And I live for Chobby, so I love it. 

PN: Next one, Josh and Buck, which I don’t think has an actual ship name, but we like to think of them as Bush, because that’s hilarious.

BS: [Laughs] It’s perfect. Josh and Buck… I’ll be honest, I don’t know that Josh would want to put Maddie in that situation. Josh thinks of everyone before himself, he truly does. And I think if at any point he thought Maddie might be uncomfortable with something, he wouldn’t do it. Although I don’t know that Maddie would be uncomfortable with it, she’d probably cheer for it. But I also, just frankly, think people would be so mad at me! [Laughs]

PN: That’s valid. 

BS: Yeah! They want Buck to be with Eddie.

PN: I feel like Josh and Buck are both maybe too high maintenance for each other too.

BS: Talk about, “Are you mad at me?” They would be asking each other that all the time, coming over like, ‘are you mad?’ ‘No, are you mad at me?’. Yeah, that’s a lot of neurosis.

PN: OK, next one: Josh and Eddie. Thoughts on that? 

BS: You know what, that would be interesting, because Josh did have a scene with Eddie, when Eddie was working at dispatch, that people got upset with me about, or people got upset with Josh about. He was being way too hard on Eddie because Eddie was taking some liberties at dispatch, doing things out of order, doing things at his own pace. So, it could be an interesting dynamic of a race for being alpha possibly. [Laughs] I love Ryan though, he’s absolutely perfect.

PN: When Eddie was working at dispatch, he and Josh had this beef, but do you know how significant the beef actually was? It’s constantly mentioned on 9-1-1 Twitter, in fan fiction, everything.

BS: It makes sense because Ryan and I, we’ve been in scenes together but that might have been the only scene we’ve ever had [with] just the two of us. For those of you who don’t know, I give Eddie a stern talking to about him taking too many liberties and not following protocol, which Josh is obviously huge on. He is a rule-follower, a list-maker, that’s how he runs things. So, I guess, if you were just basing it on that one conversation, Eddie does call it back later in the episode where he says something, he throws Josh’s words back in his face. 

PN: “You’re a guest in this house.” 

BS: That’s right! That’s a playful dynamic, actually. So maybe the beef is real but maybe it’s real in the way of the When Harry Met Sally beef [at] the beginning of that movie. Who knows? Maybe Josh and Eddie will kiss on New Year’s Eve one day. 

PN: Aw!

BS: [Laughs]

PN: OK, next one: Taylor Kelly and Lucy Donato?

BS: Oh, that’s a fresh one [Long pause].

PN: Yes!

BS: Ooh… [Long pause] Why not?! Honestly, I’m trying to think of one that I haven’t liked yet because it’s fun to be in fantasy land with these. A lot of these characters don’t identify like this at all, at least not yet. But it’s fun to see. What do you think of that one?

PN: I really like that one. I can see it being, like, bi for bi, because they both maybe give that energy?

BS: Yeah, that’s great. Bi for bi, I’m into that.

PN: What about Josh and Tommy, known as Jommy? 

BS: Jommy. Again, my second born. Chobby and Jommy are, I mean, I can only hope that I have twins one day because the names are picked out. Josh and Tommy… [Pause] What’s interesting about Tommy is, in many ways he did open Buck’s eyes. The drama that would create, going after someone’s ex, it’s not a good idea. It’s just not a good idea. 

PinkNews: Yeah. 

BS: You can fall in love with anybody but falling in love with the right person for the right reasons is the difficult part. Josh might think Tommy’s very cute but I think [he] has the sense to not go after someone like that. 

PN: That’s wise.

BS: Yes.

PN: Fanfics exist of all these pairings, by the way, but this one is wild. We found three with this next tag: Josh and Daniel Buckley.

BS: Josh and Daniel Buckley… Is there a name for that?

PN: I don’t know. I didn’t know this was one that existed. I just found it on Archive Of Our Own today. I’m gonna say, probably… Janiel?

BS: Sure, Janiel. I like that. But isn’t Daniel Buckley… no longer with us?

PN: Yes, he’s dead.

BS: [Laughs] Well, that wouldn’t make [him] a good partner. 

PN: I didn’t read these fics, but he did come back for Buck’s coma dream in season six, so maybe this is some kind of alternate reality… 

BS: I like it. Very cute. Why not? As long as Josh isn’t a necrophiliac, I think we’re good. Josh will accept a first date with anyone but then he becomes more and more and more and more discerning. But the opportunity to meet anybody is a cool opportunity. So… you can tell how desperate I am for Josh to date. 

PN: Yes, oh my god!

BS: Yes to every single one of these pairings! Even poor Daniel.

PN: Last one and it’s just as weird: Josh and Sal Deluca. 

BS: Sal Deluca. 

PN: Yeah, he was one of the original 118 firefighters, with Gerrard.

BS: Oh that’s right! Ugh… I don’t know. Honestly, I can’t really remember him that well. Will you remind me?

PN: Yeah, he was in “Hen Begins”, “Chimney Begins”…

BS: Was he cool? I don’t really remember. 

PN: No, he was awful. He was racist… 

BS: Well, if he was like one of Gerrard’s people, then no.

PN: There were seven fanfics with Josh and Sal, so someone out there is shipping them. 

BS: For Josh and Sal, let me just say absolutely not. 

PN: Okay, well, you have to draw a line somewhere, and I guess this is where it is. 

BS: That’s right!

Bryan Safi will be performing his show Are You Mad At Me? at Underbelly Bristo Square: Friesian from 30 July to 24 August at 5.20pm. Tickets are available here.

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