‘9-1-1’ Star Ryan Guzman Defends Using Racial Slurs: “We Don’t Get Butthurt”

The cast of Fox’s 9-1-1 is facing an off-camera emergency. Over the weekend, 9-1-1 star Ryan Guzman came under fire after he defended his fiancée’s use of the N-word in a series of resurfaced tweets. Shortly after Guzman defended the use of racial slurs, Oliver Stark fired back and denounced his co-star’s behavior, saying, “There is absolutely no excuse for the use of the N-word.”

According to TVLine, 9-1-1 controversy first began last week, when viewers uncovered tweets from Guzman’s fiancée, Brazilian model and actress Chrysti Ane, in which she used the N-word. On Sunday, Ane issued a formal apology for the 2011 tweets and explained that at the time, she was “dating someone of African American decent” and felt “accepted by the black community,” and thus felt justified to use the slur. “I must say I also didn’t fully comprehend the WEIGHT of the word,” she wrote. “I didn’t comprehend the history, the struggles, the oppression.”

The blowback could have ended there, but a few hours later, Guzman took to Instagram Live to defend himself and Ane. “I have plenty of friends — Black, white, Asian, Indian, whatever they are, Korean — and we make fun of each other’s races all the time,” said the 9-1-1 star, per TVLine. “We call each other slurs all the time.”

“We don’t get butthurt at all because we know the actual person, we know who each other are,” continued Guzman, who plays firefighter Eddie Diaz on the drama. “We know that we’re not trying to bring each other down. So, what are y’all trying to get at? You’re trying to prove that somebody that’s not racist is racist? Nah. You don’t have that power. There is no racist energy coming from this household at all.”

It didn’t take long for another 9-1-1 star to weigh in. Shortly after the controversial Instagram Live appearance, Stark (9-1-1‘s Buck) condemned Guzman’s defense of racial slurs, writing that the N-word “belongs to the Black community only.” Added Stark, “I absolutely don’t agree with it being used by anyone else under any circumstances.”

Decider has reached out to Fox for comment, but did not hear back by the time of publication.

Where to stream 9-1-1