Is Buck Gay on 9-1-1? Oliver Stark Confirms His Character’s Sexuality
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9-1-1 fans are one step closer to Buddie. After his kiss with Tommy in Season 7, Episode 4, fans had a million questions about Buck’s sexuality on 9-1-1 and what’s next for the character’s romantic life (and whether it will include another firefighter that viewers have paired him with over the years.) Evan “Buck” Buckley, is a firefighter in the fictional Station 118 of the Los Angeles Fire Department on 9-1-1. The series, which premiered in 2018 and also spawned the spinoff 9-1-1: Lone Star, follows the personal and professional lives of first responders—including police officers, paramedics, and dispatchers—in Los Angeles, California.
Buck, who is also the brother of 9-1-1 operator and trained nurse Maddie Buckley, is one of five remaining original characters on 9-1-1, along with LAPD patrol sergeant Athena Grant-Nash, LAFD 118 Squad captain Robert “Bobby” Nash, firefighter and paramedic Henrietta “Hen” Wilson, and firefighter and paramedic Howard “Chimney” Han.
Throughout his time on 9-1-1, Buck was portrayed as a womanizer following his relationships with characters such as Abigail “Abby” Clark. That seems to have changed in 9-1-1 Season 7, which introduced the character’s first gay storyline. Read on to find out what the showrunners had to say about whether Buck is gay on 9-1-1 and what’s next for the character romantically.
Is Buck gay on 9-1-1? Evan “Buck” Buckley had his first gay storyline in 9-1-1 Season 7, Episode 4, “Buck Bothered and Bewildered,” in which he kissed former Station 118 firefighter Tommy Kinard. Tommy is also friends with Buck’s best friend and fellow Station 118 firefighter, Edmundo “Eddie” Diaz, who 9-1-1 fans have paired with Buck since Eddie joined 9-1-1 in Season 2. So is Buck gay on 9-1-1? The answer is no. 9-1-1 showrunner Tim Minear confirmed to TVLine in a post-episode interview that Buck is bisexual and labels himself as such. “That’s the way it’s in my head. We’ll see what moments he might look like to label that in the next episode, but yeah, I think that would be the correct term,” he said when asked if Buck considers himself bisexual.
Oliver Stark Responds to Criticism of Buck’s Sexual Orientation on 9-1-1 Oliver Stark, who plays Buck, also confirmed that his character is bisexual in an April 6, 2024, Instagram Story post in which he criticized viewers who criticized 9-1-1 for Buck’s queer storyline. “I’m humbled and overwhelmed by the positive response to Buck’s storyline. I’ve read so many of your messages and I couldn’t be prouder,” he wrote. “If you’re one of the few people commenting on my posts about how this ruined the show, I want you to know that I really don’t care. This is a show about love and inclusivity. It has queer relationships from the start, including a beautiful black lesbian marriage played by two of the best actresses I’ve ever seen.”
He continued, “If another character finds a new side to their sexuality and realizes that their bisexuality is a deciding factor — I’m afraid you’ve missed the whole point of the show. You’re not obligated to announce your departure.”
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Stark explained that he didn’t know about Buck and Tommy’s kiss until a few episodes before it happened. “I guess it came up while we were still shooting episodes 2 and 3. [9-1-1 co-creator and showrunner Tim Minear] called me and he said, ‘I want to pitch you something…’ and pitched it to me. And I was like, ‘Yeah, I love it. I think it’s awesome,’” Stark said. “And we laughed about how, certainly from my perspective—and this is important—I think it’s been going on for a long time.”
Although Buck didn’t have his first gay storyline until Season 7, Stark confirmed that there were hints throughout the series. “I really feel like there have been moments in the show that have been leading up to this for a long time,” he said. “For a really long time, actually. I think there have been multiple seasons and multiple
