911 star responds to trolls against new bisexuality storyline

The fourth episode of season 7, which aired on Thursday (4th April), saw Stark's character Buck Buckley realise that he had feelings for his friend Tommy Kinard (Lou Ferrigno Jr), with the pair ultimately sharing a kiss.

While the majority of fans were quick to express their delight at the romantic development, some viewers have shared their negative reactions to the scene, claiming it has "ruined the show".

Taking to Instagram Stories on Sunday (7th April), Stark wrote that he was "humbled and overwhelmed by the positive reaction to Buck's storyline", before adding: "I've read so many of your messages and I couldn't be prouder."

Stark then went on to defend Buck's character arc from some of the online hate, emphasising that 911 is "a show about love and inclusion".

He said: "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. 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."

He continued: "If one other character finding a new facet to his sexuality and realising his bisexuality is your deal breaker – I fear you've missed the entire point of the show. You are not required to announce your departure."

Stark previously opened up about Buck's coming out journey to Entertainment Weekly, saying: "I do feel like there have been moments in the show that have led up to this for a long time. For a long, long time, in fact. I think it's been seasons and seasons in the making, so it's really nice to see it officially come to fruition.

"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 just searching, of trying to... There was obviously something that wasn't clicking in Buck's personality and his openness with himself and his acceptance of himself."

He continued: "It felt to me like there was something beneath the surface, right? Because we've seen him latch onto these different personalities, or different relationships over the years, and that, to me, is a sign of not being quite OK with yourself. So I think that was a big driving force in it for me."

911 was renewed for season 8 by ABC ahead of the drama's 100th episode.

911 season 7 is airing in the US on ABC every Thursday. Seasons 1-6 are available to stream in the UK on Disney Plus. Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 for a year.

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