Every so often, these rumors about famous people go around that become Hollywood myths or urban legends and people just assume them to be true. An example includes the rumor that Walt Disney was cryogenically frozen (records show he was actually cremated). This also happened to Steve Burns.
Back in 2002, Steve very suddenly left his gig on Blue’s Clues. He didn’t say anything publicly until 2021 when he released a video explaining why he left the show. During those two decades of radio silence, I remember hearing a couple of different rumors as to Steve’s departure. One of the more widely-shared and accepted rumors was that he had actually passed away. Steve just did an interview with the New York Times where he talked about how those rumors affected him and why he decided to step back into the spotlight after almost 20 years.
“Everyone thought I was dead for a while,” he told the New York Times in an interview published Sept. 18, noting it made him a kind of urban legend. “That hurt, to be honest. And it kind of messed me up because that was happening while the internet was just sort of beginning to internet. No one, including myself, was kind of prepared for the degree of consensus that it represented.”
It was so general a consensus, that even the occasional public appearances didn’t seem to mitigate the rumor. As Steve explained, “When a zillion, trillion people all think you’re dead for 15 years, it freaks you out.”
It’s part of the reason the now-50-year-old—who spends most of his time living largely off the grid in upstate New York—chose to make his return to the public eye in the form of social media.
It was a video shared by Nick Jr. on X, then-Twitter, in 2021 that saw Steve back in his signature, green-striped rugby shirt addressing his now-adult viewers that first tugged at the heart strings of former Blue’s Clues fans.
“I didn’t write it,” Steve said of the video that saw the alum explain his departure from the series, as well as express his pride over everything his former kid viewers have accomplished in adulthood. “I just kind of stood in front of the camera and said what was on my mind. I wanted to continue the conversation that I started a zillion years ago with everyone.”
And since then, Steve—who alongside his Blue’s Clues replacement Donovan Patton, has made appearances on the currently-running sequel series hosted by Josh Dela Cruz—has kept up a similar format, using platforms such as TikTok to check in with his followers, often letting them have the floor as he sits and “listens” in front of the camera.
“I just kind of wondered, ‘Is it possible to use the internet backward?’” Steve explained to the NYT. “‘Instead of creating micro-harm in aggregate, that is actually corrosive, can we just use it in positive ways?’”
In fact, the impact his videos have made has indeed been positive, allowing users to share their triumphs and struggles and be met with support and community.
“What really gets me is when someone posts something dark, simple, something grim, and everyone else comments to support them,” he shared. “I think that’s really beautiful.
And it’s happening just because some middle-aged bald dude in glasses is paying attention. I’m not doing anything that everyone else can’t do.”
It’s a simple convention that he says was first developed on Blue’s Clues.
“My real job was listening,” he explained of his time as host. “Most children’s television talks to the camera, right? That’s kind of an established convention. But what Blue’s Clues did that I think was really a breakthrough is we listened. I worked really hard on making that as believable as possible.”
I can’t imagine just how hurtful and alarming it is to have so many people just widely accept that you’ve passed away. And he was doing the occasional appearances here and there, too! The Internet groupthink really can be just awful and dangerous. I was a senior in high school when Steve left, so I was very much not in the age group to watch Blue’s Clues and in my ignorance, just assumed one or more of the “What happened to Steve?” rumors were true and went on with my day. I feel awful about that now! Although to be fair, I was also Today Years Old when I learned that Walt Disney wasn’t actually cryogenically frozen.
Anyway, I love this: “I just kind of wondered, ‘Is it possible to use the internet backward? Instead of creating micro-harm in aggregate, that is actually corrosive, can we just use it in positive ways?” That’s so great and I totally agree. Like it or not, the Internet and social media isn’t going to go away, so why not use its powers for good when we can? Steve is such a kind soul. This is why he made such a good children’s television host. It’s giving Mr. Rogers, right? Look for the helpers, Steve.