Steve Burns, who an entire generation simply knows as Steve fromBlue’s Clues, is opening up about the negative impacts that online rumors of his death had on him.Blue’s Cluespremiered on Nickelodeon on Sept. 8, 1996, and quickly became a worldwide phenomenon with kids and made the character of Steve, the green-striped wearing owner of the lovable dog Blue, a household icon. An entire generation likely remembers the sad episode where Steve left for college, leaving his brother Joe (played by actor Donovan Patton) to be the series' new lead. Steve’s final episode of Blue’s Clues aired on Jul 14, 2025, and rumors quickly spread online that actor Burns had passed away.
During an appearance on Rainn Wilson’sSoul Bloom podcast, via Variety, Burns opened up about how his experience leavingBlues Cluessaying he was “in the throes of this depression after I left the show.” He then opened up about the rumor that he died, saying it’s “not what you want to hear when you’re severely clinically depressed.” Burns explained how what seemed like a joke to some quickly wasn’t funny to him and how it impacted him negatively. Burns said:
“When a rumor like that persists for three or four years, it stops being funny. 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. 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…I didn’t recognize me. Everyone thought I was dead, and eventually I started playing along.”
Steve Burns' History With ‘Blue’s Clues’
Steve Burns had spoken out about why he leftBlue’s Clues, as he wanted to pursue other career avenues and wasdealing with depression. This is a normal and understandable career path, as many actors leave popular shows. However, for a young audience who was just coming into their own as the internet was taking shape, it seemed too difficult to process, and it was easier for them to imagine something had happened to the actor. Rumors spread that the actor was a drug addict, because it felt “edgy” to imagine a wholesome children’s host as having dark secrets, rather than the reality that he was a working actor and musician who might not have wanted just to be a kids' host. Even in the early days of the internet, misinformation spread quickly and often became widely accepted.
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Burns has since returned toBlue’s Clues, embracing his iconic Steve image. He was a casting consultant on the new series,Blue’s Clues and You!, and even guest-starred in the first episode alongside Donovan Patton as Joe as the two characters welcomed Josh Dela as Josh, the cousin of Steve and Joe. Burns has written and directed many episodes ofBlue’s Clues and You!and even starred alongside Josh Dela and Donovan Patton in theParamount+ Original Film,Blue’s Big City Adventure.
The attachment the audience had to Burns as Steve was shown in 2021. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Blue’s Clues,Burns reprised his role as Steve in a video and spoke to the audience, saying he never forgot about them when he went to college, and hopes they are doing well. The video was widely watched on social media and picked up by many major outlets, including a funnyTonight Showbit where host Stephen Colbert got choked up watching the video, to which Burns appeared on stage to hug the late-night host.
Source:Soul Bloom PodcastviaVariety
Blue’s Clues
