Why 9-1-1 star Oliver Stark has always been a devoted LGBTQ+ ally

‘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.  

Celebrating visibility

Oliver Stark often takes the time to observe significant LGBTQ+ awareness dates. On Bisexual Visibility Day 2024, he (and his dogs) shared a video to his Instagram stories to mark the occasion.

He said: “Recording a quick message because today is Bi Visibility Day. I feel very lucky to get to be a part of telling the story of this bisexual character on 9-1-1, and to be a part of representation of bisexual characters and stories in media. There’s not a tonne of bisexual representation so I feel like it’s a very special thing that we’re doing and I feel very lucky to get to be a part of it.”

A number of bisexual 9-1-1 viewers were grateful for the allyship. One fan wrote: “Actually tearing up at this, I love being bisexual and I love how much he cares about representing our community.”

“He is too sweet, I love how much he cares,” said another. “I also love that he’s pulled over on the side of the damn freeway with his emergency blinkers on to make this instead of just waiting until he gets to his destination. That’s the Oliver we know and love.”