Longtime Blue's Clues host Steve Burns finally spoke out after years of persistent online rumours falsely claiming he had died.
In a new episode of the Soul Bloom podcast hosted by Rainn Wilson, the beloved former children’s TV host opened up about how the bizarre theories and misinformation affected his mental health.
"When a rumor like that persists for three or four years, it stops being funny," he 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, who left Blue’s Clues in 2002, became the subject of disturbing rumours shortly after his departure. Several news suggested he had died of suicide, a drug overdose, or even a car crash.
With limited internet access at that time, fans had little means to verify his whereabouts, leading the false narrative to spread widely and linger for years.
"Everyone thought I was dead, and eventually I started playing along," Burns shared.
Though the speculation took a heavy emotional toll, Burns eventually made his way back into the public eye through occasional TV appearances and podcast interviews, which ultimately debunked the death myth.
His return to Blue’s Clues for its 25th-anniversary special reassured longtime fans that he was alive and well.
With the disturbing experience, Burns hard-learned a lesson: "Never Google myself."
