Spoilers ahead for the midseason premiere of 9-1-1, “Secrets.” You can stream it now with a Hulu subscription!
9-1-1 returned on the 2026 TV schedule on Thursday night to continue Season 9, and it was a memorable one, to say the least. One of the bigger storylines involved Buck (Oliver Stark) nabbing not one, but two dates while out at a club with Eddie (Ryan Guzman) and Ravi (Anirudh Pisharody). It highlighted Buck’s bisexuality, and it got me wondering (again) if there will ever be a time when Buck and Eddie get together? Well, Oliver Stark got real about that possibility.
Since Ryan Guzman joined the procedural during the second season, fans have been clamoring for Buck and Eddie to get together, calling them “Buddie.” They were even mentioned on Pop Culture Jeopardy! Over the years, both actors have addressed the ship and didn’t seem to mind what could happen. After Buck’s big coming out during the 100th episode, fans were closer than ever to finally getting it. However, aside from Buck getting called out for the fact that he might have feelings for Eddie and the occasional comments from other characters about how cute they would look together, Buddie has yet to happen.
The longer the ABC drama seems to push it aside, the more fans are getting anxious, hoping with each season that this time, it'll happen. At this point, it’s hard to tell if the show will ever actually go there, but Stark told Deadline what he thinks the future holds for the duo:
Honestly, and this may be a little of a cop out, but I don’t know. I do know, however, that Tim Minear, who writes the show, said in an interview a few days ago, he’s actively a fan of the ship of Buddie, and he understands it and roots for it, and doesn’t not like the idea of it, which, I get it as well.
Well, that makes me optimistic. However, it also makes the question about if Buddie will ever happen even bigger. To that point, Stark said that he's very aware of what the fans want. He's also quite open to the idea himself. So, if they can find a natural way into the relationship, he'd be open to it, explaining:
I’ve spoken about it in interviews. I say happily that I see the moments that other people see, and you see fan edits, and there’s nice romantic music playing over the top of it or whatever it is, and you go, 'Oh yeah, those do feel like charged moments.' So yeah, I’m just happy to keep telling the story of these characters, and if that’s the way that, authentically, Tim decides the story goes, then I think that’s beautiful.
As a Buddie shipper since the day Season 2 premiered in 2018, I would love nothing more than for Buck and Eddie to finally get together. Why it’s taking so long is unknown, especially since everyone seems to be on board for it.
However, even if they do choose to eventually go in that direction, it might not be so immediate. While Buck is bi, Eddie is, as far as we know, straight, so he would have to have his own coming-out journey. Therefore, immediately thrusting them into that relationship might not be the best idea, no matter how much people want it.
As of right now, Buddie may not be coupling up any time soon, but fans can still look forward to their friendship. It’s always a treat seeing Buck and Eddie moments on 9-1-1, whether they’re just hanging out or working together. And fans will soon be getting a double dose of them when Stark and Guzman hop over to 9-1-1: Nashville later this season.
Of course, many fans are getting frustrated the longer the show goes without Buddie being official. So maybe, one of these days, 9-1-1 will do something with this popular ship. Tune in on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC to see what happens next on 9-1-1.
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