If there’s one thing queer TV watchers love more than a messy coming-out arc, it’s when the actor behind the drama shows up, not just to play the part, but to get it. Oliver Stark—yes, our very own Buck from ABC’s 9-1-1—is officially That Guy this Pride Month, dropping a delightfully low-key message that hit harder than a defibrillator to the heart.
“Hey guys, This is Oliver Stark from ABC’s 9-1-1. I’m very honoured to play a bisexual character on TV. I just wanted to take this chance to say Happy Pride Month.”
Short. Sweet. No rainbow-washed PR script. No awkward hashtag activism. Just an earnest, proud nod to the community that has fiercely championed both Stark and Buck from the start.
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For fans of 9-1-1, Buck’s bisexuality has been a slow-burn revelation—more simmering kettle than coming-out fireworks. Since kissing ex-firefighter and LAFD pilot Tommy (played by Lou Ferrigno Jr.), Buck’s been carefully untangling his identity with refreshing honesty. Season seven saw him navigate a surprising romance, a vulnerable coming-out to his tight-knit team, and—yes—awkward family dinners where bisexuality was suddenly the main course.
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing. After Buck and Tommy called it quits, Stark made off-the-cuff remarks about what he hoped to see in Buck’s romantic future. Some interpreted it as a pivot away from queer storylines, and accusations of biphobia flared. But if queer Twitter can build you up, it can just as quickly serve you humble pie. Stark responded not with defensiveness, but reflection—letting the character (and the fans) steer the story back on track.
More importantly, he’s never been afraid to clap back at the real villains: the homophobes.
“I truly [don’t] care” about their discomfort, he declared, when trolls came for him. Instead, he focused on what mattered. He called the response to Buck’s journey “humbled and overwhelmed by the positive reaction to Buck’s storyline.” And if that doesn’t scream “ally with a capital A,” what does?
Stark’s Pride message might not have been drenched in glitter or set to Lady Gaga, but that’s the point. It wasn’t performative. It wasn’t for the headlines. It was for the people who saw themselves in Buck—and for once, saw a story not rooted in tragedy, but in quiet courage.
And that’s what makes Oliver Stark a standout. Not just for playing Buck, but for getting Buck. For understanding that bisexual representation—real, flawed, evolving—matters. And for reminding us that sometimes the most meaningful allyship isn’t loud or flashy. Sometimes it just sounds like, “Happy Pride Month.”
We’ll take it, Oliver. And we’ll see you next episode.