When it came to television in the late 90s and early 2000s aimed at young kids, Blue’s Clues was certainly one of the biggest. The series took place in a bright colorful children’s book aesthetic and featured a cast of colorful characters with the central focus being a blue female puppy named Blue who would leave her paw print as a clue for the viewer to solve the episode’s mystery. As popular as Blue was, her first human companion, Steve, developed a surprising cult following.

Steve was known for his soft helpful tone, his handy dandy notebook, and his signature green long-sleeve shirt. Steve was a comforting source for children of all ages who tuned into Blue’s Clues. Yet one day, Steve departed the series and many children were unhappy. The show explained that Steve was departing for college. While the series featured a new host, and eventually tried to update itself with a segment where the formerly silent Blue would speak, the series never truly recovered from Steve’s departure.

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Following Steve’s departure from the series, outlandish rumors started to circulate, from him being addicted to drugs to even having died. For some, it was easier to create elaborate conspiracies and false rumors than accept that he left the television series. Yet what has he been doing since he left Blue’s Clues? Take a look and see.

Who Was Steve

     Nickelodeon

Steve might be a character created for Blue’s Clues, but he shares the same name as the actor who plays him, Steve Burns. Born in 1973, Burns had a passion for music at a young age and performed in bands as a bass player in high school in college. He moved to New York and started getting into voice work and had a few small acting roles in series like Law & Order.

He auditioned for Blue’s Clues and despite not being the obvious favorite of Nickelodeon executives due to his rocker appearance, he tested the best with preschool audiences. He got the role and became a star overnight, not just among young kids who watch the series but also among parents. Steve Burns even became something of a Hollywood hunk as he was listed on People’s list of most eligible bachelors in 2000. Steve was a major part of Blue’s Clues’ success with audiences, which made his departure a shocking event.

Behind The Scenes Explanation

The behind-the-scenes reasons for Steve Burns’ departure were not some grand scandal that many wanted to craft, but instead a very mundane and reasonable decision by an actor. While Burns had enjoyed his time on Blue’s Clues he decided to depart as he never wanted to be a children’s television show his whole life the same way that someone like Mr. Rogers did. Burns was also losing his hair and did not want to go bald on a children’s series. By that point, many of the original creatives of Blue’s Clues had also departed and Burns decided it was time for him to go and allow a new host for a new generation of kids.

Steve’s departure was going to be a difficult one for the show (and many kids), and the series slowly introduced the new host Joe (Donovan Patton) as Steve’s younger brother who would take care of Blue while Steve went off to college. Steve’s final episodes of Blue’s Clues aired as a three-part event on April 29, 2002, and for many kids was likely one of the earliest experiences of having to say goodbye to somebody they loved.

Steve Got Back Into Music

     CBS

Shortly after departing Blue’s Clues, Steve Burns got back into music. He began work on what would become the album Songs for Dustmites. Released on August 12, 2003 (over a year after leaving Blue’s Clues), Songs for Dustmites is an indie-rock album with songs that deal with love and loss. The album received positive reviews and the album’s first track “Mighty Little Man” became the theme song for the television series Young Sheldon.

Burns would later appear on an episode of Young Sheldon as a Star Trek fan that the title character meets. This is one of his few non-Blue’s Clues acting appearances as the actor has mostly appeared as himself or in a voice role like when he narrated the interactive children’s show Roll Play from 2006 to 2010.

Steve Returns To Blue’s Clues

     Paramount+

In 2017, it was announced that Blue’s Clues would make its return to television in a new rebooted series Blue’s Clues & You!. In April 2018 a massive casting call was put out to find the new host for Blue’s Clues & You! and after having been away from the role for so long, Steve Burns returned to help with the selection of the new host. Josh Dela was chosen as the new host, with his character Josh being a cousin to Steve and Joe from the original series.

In addition, Steve Burns alongside Donovan Patton reprised their original roles from Blue’s Clues in the premiere episode of Blue’s Clues & You! on November 11, 2019. After departing Blue’s Clues, Burns has now become more involved with the rebooted series, having directed many episodes.

In 2021, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Blue’s Clues Burns appeared in a viral video as his Blue’s Clues character where he spoke directly to the now-adult audience who grew up watching the series to tell them how proud he was of them. The video was widely circulated on social media and even featured on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, and even if somebody didn’t watch Blue’s Clues, the video was heartfelt and emotionally moving.

Steve will make his grand return in Blue’s Big City Adventure, the first feature-length movie based on Blue’s Clues. The film will see Blue and Josh go to the big city. Very similar to Spider-Man: No Way Home, Blue’s Big City Adventure will unite the various Blue’s Clues hosts with both Steve and Joe returning in the epic landmark film. The movie will premiere on Paramount+ on November 18, 2022, and will likely be viewed not just by kids but by adults who grew up with Blue’s Clues and want to see Steve one more time.