Many stars of children’s television shows have become victims of internet fixation, and “Blue’s Clues” star Steve Burns says that online rumors have taken a toll on his own mental health over the years. Appearing on Rainn Wilson’s “Soul Bloom” podcast, Burns reflected on his negative reaction to a lingering online rumor that he had died before finishing his tenure on the series in 2002.
“When a rumor like that persists for three or four years, it stops being funny,” Burns said. “When it persists for 10 years it feels like a cultural preference. … When it persists for 15 or 20 years, you start to feel like you’re supposed to be.”
Burns starred as a fictional version of himself on Nick Jr.’s “Blue’s Clues,” speaking directly to the camera (and television viewers) in each episode from his first appearance in 1996. He was the inaugural lead of the series, appearing in over 100 episodes across six years before departing the series in 2002 after a multi-part special. In his send-off, Steve introduced viewers to his brother Joe, played by Donovan Patton, the new star of the series.
It’s hardly uncommon for television stars to depart their programs after a few years, but Burns’ exit spurred a morbid internet rumor that he had died — a dark explanation for why “Blue’s Clues” would need a new lead.
“What a lot of people don’t understand is that during the show, the internet was beginning to internet, and the world decided, or a large portion of the world decided, that I had died,” Burns said, saying that he was in the “throes of this depression after I left the show” and that the online rumor is “not what you want to hear when you’re severely clinically depressed.”
“I didn’t recognize me. Everyone thought I was dead, and eventually I started playing along,” Burns added.
Burns has taken on a more direct relationship with fans over recent years, even confronting the online rumor with his new Instagram handle, “SteveBurnsAlive.” He has also written and directed several episodes of the “Blue’s Clues” revival and featured alongside fellow ex-host Patton in the Paramount+ feature “Blue’s Big City Adventure,” released in 2022.
