9-1-1's Oliver Stark slams homophobic backlash to Buck’s kiss: 'You've missed the entire point of the show'

9-1-1  star Oliver Stark has a message to the fans — and the haters — as they react to a certain romantic subplot from the show’s 100th episode.

“Buck, Bothered and Bewildered” not only marked a major milestone for the drama’s seven-season run, but featured a big moment for Stark’s character, Buck, with the show taking strides towards exploring his bisexuality. Aware of the social media frenzy that the episode inspired online, Stark took to Instagram to add his voice into the mix.

“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,” he wrote in an Instagram Stories post, before addressing those who feel differently. “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.”

He continued, “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. If one other character finding a new facet to his sexuality and realizing his bisexuality is your deal breaker — I fear you’ve missed the entire point of the show."

He concluded, "You are not required to announce your departure.”

The latest episode of the ABC series ended with an unexpected kiss between Buck and former 118er Tommy (Lou Ferigno Jr.). After struggling with his jealousy over Tommy’s budding relationship with Eddie (Ryan Guzman), Buck realized the true source of his jealousy when Tommy kissed him.

Reflecting on Thursday's episode, Stark told Entertainment Weekly that he feels the groundwork for this storyline was laid over the course of multiple seasons — even if it wasn't always clear to viewers.

“I think it's been seasons and seasons in the making, so it's really nice to see it officially come to fruition,” he said. “I think the crumbs have been there. Maybe on one hand in quite obvious ways, but on the other hand, in less obvious ways.”

Of what’s to come, he added, “Certainly for somebody finding this in their 30s, they'd be questioning, right? ‘What does this mean?’ ‘Who am I?’ ‘What about all these things that I thought to be true of myself?’ And so there's some reckoning to deal with in the next episode, and then leaning on the people that are closest to him, and finding the right moments to open up and how much to share. And then in typical 9-1-1 fashion, having his family support him and make him feel the best version of himself.”

9-1-1 airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

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