Rafael Silva’s character in 9-1-1 Lone Star, Carlos Reyes, had a roller-coaster season 4 finale. His father, Gabriel, was shot and killed by an unknown gunman in his residence days before Carlos’ wedding. After calling off the nuptials indefinitely, Carlos had a change of heart, marrying his long-term love interest, T.K.
Rafael Silva is not married; he is not dating
Rafael Silva is not married or in a relationship. Silva is fairly secretive about his love life, sharing nothing about it in interviews or on social media.
He has been linked to his co-star and on-screen love interest, Ronen Rubinstein. However, the pair are strictly close friends in real life.
Silva is openly gay. He told The Dallas Observer that he first noticed signs of queerness as a 4-year-old growing up in Brazil. Silva was 13 when he relocated to the United States with his family. Adapting to a new culture as a gay Latino teenager was difficult. He explained:
“I come from a country where machismo equates to strength, and equates to a feeling of superiority over others. And being part of the LGBTQIA+ community is considered everything but that. Navigating how I was brought up, to moving here, to then receiving another identity as an immigrant and Latino was very confusing. But I found my way, thankfully.”
The actor said he had a positive coming out experience. Rubinstein came out as bisexual following the start of his on-screen romance with Rafael Silva’s character. He told TODAY that he’d suppressed his sexuality for as long as he could remember. Rubinstein said:
“I fully identify as bisexual. I literally just got goosebumps saying that. It feels so good to talk about it, it feels so good to finally be comfortable with it.”
Silva and Rubenstein’s characters, Carlos and T.K., are affectionately referred to as Tarlos. The actors’ romantic relationship doesn’t extend to real life, but they know the importance of their characters’ romance. Silva told NBC News:
“I’m just extremely grateful for the fans for latching on to Carlos and latching on to this beautiful couple that really demonstrates humanity. They’re not needles in a haystack. We’re not hard to find. We’re everywhere — queer people are everywhere.”
