Rob Lowe says he supports the controversial decision to kill off Peter Krause’s beloved 9-1-1 character, Captain Bobby Nash.
Lowe, 61, starred on the ABC show’s spinoff, 9-1-1: Lone Star, from 2020 through 2025. In an interview with Variety published on Wednesday, April 23, the actor said he’d seen the 9-1-1 episode on April 17 that left fans devastated. The procedural drama, cocreated by Tim Minear, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, ended with Bobby’s shocking death after being infected with a dangerous virus.
“I watched it and thought it was beautifully written, beautifully acted. Peter is a spectacular actor,” Lowe told the outlet. “At a certain point in a show like that, and Tim has said this publicly, every once in a while, you’ve got to knock down a few walls if you want to keep the house structure sound.”
Lowe continued, “Ironically, it might rejuvenate the show into a whole new area, but it will never be the same without Peter who was, from the beginning, just such an amazing actor. And the way he played that death scene was emblematic of his nuance and subtlety. I’ve just always been a fan of what he and Angela and the rest of the cast do on that show, definitely.”
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While trapped in a lab with the virus, Bobby hid his infection in order to give Chimney (Kenneth Choi) the only antidote. He managed to share emotional goodbyes with his wife, Athena (Angela Bassett) and colleague Buck (Oliver Stark), but he ultimately succumbed to the disease.
After the episode aired, Minear, 61, confirmed the character’s death is a permanent one but revealed that it’s “not Peter Krause’s final appearance this season.” Krause, for his part, said goodbye to Bobby with a heartfelt letter to fans.
“In October 2017, through him, we began tackling topics such as grief, guilt, anger and addiction while exploring his relationship with a higher power, forgiveness and grace,” he said last week. “On his path of healing, we watched him join and embrace both his new family at the firehouse and his new family with Athena Grant where he found love and acceptance. We also had plenty of fun along the way. It was a joy.”
As for Bassett, the 66-year-old star said she hadn’t known about Bobby’s death until receiving the episode’s script. “It was incredulous to me that it was Bobby, so it was just very surprising,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “Sometimes, you’re just struck dumb — and that’s one of those moments because [Bobby and Athena’s] bond has been so wonderful and so strong these past four or five years. I didn’t see that coming. None of us saw that coming.”
See the Cast of ‘9-1-1’ Return to Set After Bobby’s Emotional Death
The tragedy also caught viewers by surprise. Many shared their immediate reactions on X, with one fan questioning how Bobby’s death will affect the show’s upcoming ninth season. “I know #911onABC got renewed for another season but they can keep that … what’s 911 without Bobby Nash??”
