Firefighter Evan ‘Buck’ Buckley’s queer awakening on 9-1-1 last year made big pink, purple and blue waves in the world of network TV last year.
The beloved character, played by British actor Oliver Stark, has been a fan favourite since the series first premiered in 2018. His long, depressing history with dating women and his unusually intimate friendship with fellow firefighter Eddie Diaz had many 9-1-1 viewers believing Buck wasn’t straight since as early as season 2, so his season 7 coming out delighted fans across the internet.
“Someone called me in an interview last year a ‘bisexual bicon’, which I kind of loved,” Stark told Screen Rant.
Despite his well-received bi awakening, Buck hasn’t actually uttered the word ‘bisexual’ on the show yet, much to the chagrin of a number of queer viewers. But Stark has frequently taken it upon himself to set the record straight… so to speak.
Since the beginning of Buck’s coming out arc in the show’s 100th episode, “Buck, Bothered and Bewildered”, Stark has been a very vocal supporter of bisexual representation. He even revealed that, after years of fans speculating about Buck’s sexuality, he was planning on consciously playing Buck as bi from season 7, whether it was written into the script or not.
Here are some of the times Oliver Stark proved he was a fantastic ally to the LGBTQ+ community…
The response to bi Buck
During his appearance on the Zach Sang Show podcast not long after “Buck, Bothered and Bewildered” first aired last year, Stark spoke of how he found the reaction to the episode and Buck’s subsequent journey with his sexuality.
“The response has been amazing,” he said. “Genuinely, I’m overwhelmed… The messages I’ve got from people just saying, ‘This means so much to me.’ I’ve had firefighters message me and tell me, ‘I’m not out but seeing your portrayal of Buck and seeing them move the story in this direction is really huge for me,’ so how can you ever expect it to have such cultural impact as that? It’s really amazing.”
In a recent interview with Us Weekly, he said of the reception: “It was very overwhelming at the time in the most beautiful sense and it just made me know that we were doing something right.”
When asked about his favourite ever Buck arc his response was, of course, his bisexual awakening. “He uncovered this new side of himself that has always been there, but he didn’t quite understand yet,” the star said. “It was fun for me to play through, but in a grander sense it has really high importance and meaning for people, so I think it was a real gift to me as an actor to get to be a part of that.”
Although the storyline made headlines, Stark said that the key to playing Buck throughout was to try not to feel the responsibility he suddenly found on his shoulders. He said: “I [didn’t] want to get in my head but I also didn’t want to place more importance on myself, in the sense that if I just play this as honestly and as authentically as possible then that’s real representation, and that will speak to more people and they’ll be able to see themselves in the journey, rather than self-nominating myself as some spokesperson or representative.”
Calling out the haters
Not everyone was as thrilled about Buck’s coming out arc, and those people (read: bigots) made sure to voice their opinions on the storyline in Stark’s Instagram comments section. However, the actor had a great response.
Posting to his stories, he wrote: “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.
“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.”
Really sending the point home, he concluded with: “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. You are not required to announce your departure.” 
‘Go and watch something else…’
Stark expanded on the point on The Zach Sang Show. When asked by the host what he would say to people who have negative comments about Buck’s storyline, he said: “I don’t really understand it, to be honest with you… We’ve always had queer characters on the show… If suddenly one other character [puts you off], I just think, why? Why were you watching to begin with?”
Many of the less than savoury comments around the storyline involved people believing that Buck couldn’t possibly be queer since he had previously been something of a womaniser and a playboy.
“I guess I have two responses to those people,” Stark explained. “I don’t know this for sure, but I’m pretty sure a lot of young men who are struggling or confused about their feelings towards other men probably run in the opposite direction and end up having some kind of womanizing past.
“And then the other thing is, you know, we’re telling the story of a bisexual character here, which means he is attracted to more than one gender, so we can’t minimise the fact that he’s attracted to women and will continue to be attracted to women. That’s the whole point here. He’s bisexual.
“So yeah, if people want to stop watching the show, then okay, we’re already renewed for season 8,” he laughed. “Fine, go and watch something else! I have spoken out about that a little bit, but it’s less about me speaking to the people that don’t want to watch it, and it’s more a reminder to the community that is watching it. There’s nothing shameful about this and I’m so excited to get to play this part.”
In the same interview, Stark shared that doesn’t now think of Buck as a queer character but rather a character who’s queer. “He has this multitude of different things to him,” he said. “That’s what I mean by it’s representation. He’s not just shoehorned in, like, ‘Look, we’ve got a bisexual in here!’ It’s like, no, he’s a fully fleshed-out character and that’s just one aspect of who he is, and he’s going to be flawed and he’s going to have things wrong, but it all builds into him being a real person.”
Correcting an anchor live on air
Oliver Stark put his money where his mouth was on the bisexual ally front when he challenged an anchor live on air last year.
Speaking about Buck’s journey of self-discovery, the KTLA 5 News presenter said: “Your sexuality changed on the show, which was a really big turning point.” Stark was quick to correct her wording, replying with: “Not so much almost changed as uncovered about himself…” to which the presenter agreed.
Fans watching the segment were filled with praise. One wrote: “So grateful to have someone representing (and defending) the bi community live on television like this.” Another said: “It’s small but it means a lot to me that despite the pressure of being live on air, he made the point of politely correcting her wording. As something like that is easy to brush past in those situations. Oliver Stark is out here earning that LGBTQ+ ally title today.”
“The way he paused mid-sentence because he had to figure out a respectful way of correcting her,” another commented.
Oliver Stark’s Heartfelt Tribute to Bi Visibility Wins Fans Over
On Bi Visibility Day 2024, 9-1-1 star Oliver Stark took a pause — emergency blinkers on, dogs in the backseat — to share a meaningful message with fans.
“Today is Bi Visibility Day,” he said via Instagram Story. “I feel very lucky to help tell the story of a bisexual character on 9-1-1. There’s still not a lot of bi representation out there, so being a part of that feels very special.”
Fans were deeply moved. “Actually tearing up at this,” one wrote. “He really cares.” Another praised his authenticity, noting, “Only Oliver would pull over on the freeway to honor this moment.”
Stark has also challenged the notion that it’s “brave” for straight actors to play queer characters. “That mindset is silly,” he told Men’s Health. “I was proud to tell Buck’s story — it reflects the real world, and bringing it to network TV was a meaningful step.”
Viewers agree. “We got so lucky with Oliver,” one fan shared. “He treats Buck’s bisexuality with care, respect, and heart — and that means everything.”
An ally from the beginning
Even before Buck’s bisexual awakening, Oliver Stark had proven himself to be an ally to the LGBTQ+ community.
When a 9-1-1 viewer shared their distaste at the idea of Buck being queer in his Instagram comments in 2021, he replied: “My response earlier was aimed at you. To let you know that no one is making me feel uncomfortable. There is nothing uncomfortable about playing a gay/bi characters. Please do not think it acceptable to spread such rhetoric on my post.”
Back when Oliver Stark was still on Twitter, he showed his support for the trans community a handful of times as well. When another user asked how he felt about the idea of Buck being trans, he said: “Cast trans actors to play trans parts!”
