Steve Burns reveals death hoax impact on his depression

Steve Burns, the original host of the children’s show Blue’s Clues, recently shared how a death hoax about him significantly impacted his mental health. In a conversation on Rainn Wilson’s Soul Bloom podcast, Burns discussed the toll that the rumor—claiming he had died after leaving the series in 2002—took on his well-being.

Burns, who began his role on Blue’s Clues in 1996, experienced a wave of speculation about his death, including various fictional scenarios like a heroin overdose and a fatal car crash. However, the rumor that resonated most deeply with him was that he had died by suicide. He revealed, ‘When a gazillion people you’ve never met tell you that you’re dead, it’s bad when you’re severely clinically depressed.’

At the time, Burns was coping with his own depression following his departure from the show. He noted that the early 2000s marked a period when the internet was becoming increasingly influential, contributing to the spread of the rumor. Despite efforts to dispel the myth through appearances on shows like Rosie O’Donnell’s, the hoax persisted and even grew during the years that his character’s successor, Joe, hosted the series.

Struggling with the impact of the rumor, Burns turned to alcohol, leading to addiction that left him feeling unrecognizable. He described this time as ‘the gray of my life,’ where he isolated himself in a Brooklyn home, drinking wine nightly while binge-watching television. ‘I built a house in Brooklyn and never left it. It was about 10 years where I did nothing but drink bottles of wine every night alone, watch MythBusters, and just eat Pad Thai,’ he recalled.

Eventually, Burns realized he needed help. He credited his recovery to the support of a therapist and a pivotal moment of self-reflection. He found inspiration in his Blue’s Clues character, also named Steve, who frequently asked children for help. He stated, ‘Every day on Blue’s Clues, I would sit in a chair and look at someone in the eye and ask, ‘Will you help me?’ And it wasn’t until I did that in my real life that things changed.’

Burns has previously expressed his hurt over the longevity of the death rumor, stating that it mentally affected him over the years. However, he also mentioned that this experience pushed him to return to social media in 2021, as he sought to use the platform for positive engagement. He noted, ‘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?’

Steve Burns’ journey offers a glimpse into the intersection of mental health challenges and the effects of public perception. His story underscores the importance of seeking help and finding constructive ways to cope with adversity.