Bert and Ernie are on Twitter, folks–and have “confirmed” a seemingly confusing nature of relationship on their Twitter bios.
Twitter user, @Valondar, posted a screenshot of Bert and Ernie’s Twitter profiles and quickly noticed that the two seem to be having a disconnect when it comes to the nature of their relationship.
On their Twitter bios, Ernie identifies Bert as his friend, while Bert considers Ernie as roommate, which begs the reaction eh?
Twitter user @VK_HM posted the profile screenshots and captioned it with “brutal”.
Brutal pic.twitter.com/qiwVbp5may
— Valondar (@VK_HM) December 6, 2020
Some fans felt sad for Ernie being “friendzoned”.
https://twitter.com/hoopaloupe/status/1335630627673010176
https://twitter.com/Jenn_Pitfa/status/1335616794971820039
https://twitter.com/CornInMyNews/status/1335637930241568768
Wait, poor Ernie thinks he's in a friendship, while Bert thinks he's just going halfsies on the rent?
How sad.
— Lynn, "I am Troy Davis" #EndTheDeathPenaltyNow (@LynnInChicago2) December 6, 2020
In the PBS children’s show Sesame Street, Bert and Ernie are long time roommates. For years, people perceive them as best friends, but not after the famous show’s writer, Mark Saltzman, confirmed in 2018 that the two are actually a couple whose actions are written based on his own personal life.
In that same year, Sesame Workshop, a nonprofit organization, denied the writer’s claim and issued a press release on Twitter saying Bert and Ernie are puppets with no sexual orientation. “As we have always said, Bert and Ernie are best friends,” the statement said. “They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves.”
Fast forward to today, it seems like the speculations are coming back, with some fans criticizing the TV program for what seems like a move to make sure the characters remain in the closet.
They’re boyfriends and even the little kids watching Sesame Street know it.
— M Healy (@MOfHealy) December 6, 2020
PBS: Gay rat wedding
also PBS: aggressively insists two unrelated men who live together and say they love each other aren't gay
— Ancient-Onyx (@AncientOnyx) December 6, 2020
However, Saltzman is quite happy that his interview in 2019 started a conversation about the LGBTQ+ representation in kids’ shows and felt positive that the two famous characters will empower the LGBTQ+ families and their children.
“When it comes to Bert and Ernie, it’s two guys who love each other and live together. For a kid being brought up by two dads, well, how great, ‘My dads are like Bert and Ernie,'” he said. “For kids who are teased or bullied in preschool, they can say my dads are like Bert and Ernie.”
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