Every 90s kid’s comfort television personality was probably Steve from “Blue’s Clues.” Everyone knew him for his green striped rugby shirt, his khaki jeans, and a smile that warmed every child’s hearts.
His departure from “Blue’s Clues” back in 2001 was left unanswered for a decade or so, until the show’s 25th anniversary and we finally know the reason behind Steve’s leaving of the show. There was a sense of relief that one of our childhood favorites was back and a closure to why he suddenly left all those years ago.
In an interview with Variety back in 2022, Steve opened up about his feelings about his departure, where he said that part of the reason why he left was because he was losing his hair.
But there was something deeper than that and Steve said that at the time he was “the happiest depressed person in North America.” The loveable children’s show host from all those years ago revealed his battle with severe clinical depression—all while doing ‘Blue’s Clues.”
Things became a little bit too complicated after Steve left “Blue’s Clues.” This included unsubstantiated rumors that Steve had died. Trolls said that he died of a car crash, a heroin overdose, or something else more outrageous.
Steve even made a number of public appearances while the rumors were still spreading, which he “took as a sign” to maintain a low profile and out of the public eye.
Until in 2021, he re-emerged, explained the reasons for his abrupt departure, and ended his message by saying, “I just wanted to say, I never forgot you. Ever.”
Steve Burns, his full name, is now more than a man wearing a green striped rugby shirt with his handy dandy notebook, and his pet dog Blue that we loved to see on our television screens.
Now, he’s doing almost the same thing he did for all of us back then—through TikTok.
Some might have already come across his occasional TikToks where he’s seen sitting and listening to the viewers—much like what he did on “Blue’s Clues.” This video format, as it turns out, was a “social experiment” that he did.
In an interview with The New York Times, Steve said that he wondered if it were possible to use the internet backwards, stemming from the death hoaxes he’s received in the past. “Instead of creating micro-harm in aggregate, that is actually corrosive, can we just use it in positive ways?”
Hence, the videos where he’s seen checking up on all of his audience and followers. At this point, he could be everyone’s therapist.
He greets his audience saying “Hi, how are you doing today?” and then what follows is a minute or two of silence.
@hioutthereitsmesteve♬ Awakening – SØLYS
People come into the comment sections talking about their day, expressing their emotions, processing their innermost feelings, or even just telling Steve how they’ve been doing these days.
For Steve, what he’s doing is “incredibly simple.” He tells The New York Times, “Everyone else is doing all the work,” which is beautiful to begin with.
Steve’s comment section has turned out into some kind of communal therapy session, where people are seen comforting each other through their life’s trials and celebrating their life’s victories.
Through his little space on the internet, fellow millennials and Gen Zs are cheering each other on as the full force of adulthood and reality settles in. And to Steve, he isn’t doing anything special; in his words, “I’m not doing anything that everyone else can’t do.”
With Steve popping up on our screens every once in a while to check in, we get to experience our childhoods again, even for just a few minutes.
Thank you, Steve. We always knew we could count on you.
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