9-1-1’s Oliver Stark is open to ‘Buddie’ becoming canon – but only if this key condition is met

9-1-1‘s Oliver Stark has spoken out about the show’s fan-favourite romantic pairing, “Buddie”, claiming he would be open to exploring a potential romance if it’s “the right story to tell”.

Speaking in an interview with Deadline, Stark addressed the beloved fan “ship” of his character, Buck, and Ryan Guzman’s character Eddie – together making “Buddie” – explaining that he would only be interested in the two best friends getting together if it follows a “natural progression” of the story.

Fans have been shipping Buck and Eddie since Guzman’s character joined the show back in 2018, with the firefighters and best friends sharing an undeniable chemistry.

So far, nothing explicitly romantic has gone on between the pair on-screen, and writers have insisted that the characters are just friends. In series eight, however, the ship has been alluded to – with Buck accused of being in love with Eddie – leading fans to raise their hopes once more.

So does Stark himself think “Buddie” could be written into the show?

“What I will say is that if the story ever goes in that direction, I don’t think the way to do it is purely to give in to dance,” Stark told Deadline on Wednesday (14 May).

“I hope, if it goes there, it’s done because that’s the right story to tell and that’s the right progression for the characters.”

He added that while fans “would feel served” by a romance between the two on the show, he wouldn’t “want to do it purely as fan service”.

Speaking to PinkNews in 2024, Stark explained that there’s a “strong connection” between Buck and Eddie regardless of whether their relationship becomes romantic or not, and that with Buck coming out as bisexual it’s important not to “tie” his character’s sexuality to another person.

“The thing that I approach cautiously is not tying his sexuality to anybody else,” Stark explained.

“You know, I was never tied to Tommy. It’s not tied to Eddie. Obviously, it’s his own journey to kind of go down. And Ryan’s character, Eddie, is on his own journey. And if that’s where the story ends up going, then I know a lot of people on Twitter will be very happy. But regardless, I love those scenes [between Buck and Eddie]. I love working with those people.

“So, you know, as I’ve kind of always said, I’m here for wherever the story goes. And I just hope the audience feels satisfied with wherever the ending is.”

Guzman also weighed in on the fan ship of “Buddie”, telling Deadline that he “completely understands where fans are gaining that from, and they’ve created their own lore”.

“I see so many different things. I see renditions of the show where it’s all of us like friends, characters, and stuff. I love it. They’re so adamant on their version of 9-1-1,” he said.

9-1-1 season 8 is currently airing on Thursdays on ABC in the US and on Fridays on Disney+ in the UK.

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