It’s the “will-they-won’t-they” slow burn that’s been leaving fans parched for eight whole seasons — but now, 9-1-1 actor Oliver Stark is pouring a little rainbow-flavored fuel on the Buddie fire. In a resurfaced clip from the Smith Sisters Live podcast, Stark doesn’t hold back when asked about a memorable scene between his character Buck and Eddie Diaz. His verdict? “Yeah, that was super gay.”
Cue the queer internet losing its collective mind.
The scene in question, from season three’s ninth episode titled “Fallout,” is a masterclass in homoerotic subtext disguised as straight bro-banter. Picture this: a kitchen, lingering eye contact, playful sparring about who could take whom in a fight, and just enough dramatic tension to make a kettle scream. “You think so?” Eddie teases. “I know,” Buck smolders. If it sounds like foreplay, that’s because it is.
And finally, we have confirmation from Stark himself. After a dramatic reading of the flirty scene, the actor laughed and said what we were all thinking. “That was super gay,” he admitted, as the podcast crew erupted in cheers. He even spilled some behind-the-scenes tea, revealing that when the scene was first written, the showrunner was confused. “‘This is just two guys talking to each other?’” they asked. The episode’s writer responded bluntly: “‘I wouldn’t talk to my best friend like that.’”
Queer fans have long championed the Buck-Eddie pairing — dubbed “Buddie” — as a golden example of TV’s latent queer potential. Though the show has never made them canon, the subtext has never been subtle. And with Stark now seemingly on board with the interpretation, the Buddie believers just scored a major win.
Why This Matters for LGBTQ+ Viewers
Television, especially in mainstream network dramas, hasn’t exactly been generous with slow-burn queer love stories — especially between two masculine-presenting leads who aren’t framed as “the gay couple.” The Buddie dynamic defies that trope. Their bond, rooted in emotional intimacy, co-parenting, and, apparently, kitchen-based flirtation, offers a rare glimpse into male vulnerability and queer-coded affection without falling into cliché.
Stark’s comment, while off-the-cuff, is a subtle but meaningful nod to LGBTQ+ viewers who have long felt dismissed when reading queerness between the lines. It’s not canon yet, but it’s validation. It acknowledges queer people’s ability to see themselves in characters — even when the writers won’t say it out loud.
And let’s be real: queer folks are experts in decoding subtext. We have to be — it’s how we’ve survived decades of erasure on screen. So when Oliver Stark says, “super gay,” what we hear is: “You’re not imagining it.” And sometimes, that’s enough to keep the fanfic flowing and the hopes alive.
Whether Buddie ever goes canon remains a mystery, but until then, we’ve got eight seasons of emotionally charged looks, heartfelt dialogue, and now — one deliciously validating quote.
9-1-1 season 8 is currently airing on Thursdays on ABC in the US and on Fridays on Disney+ in the UK.