Back in 2002, the original host of the Nickelodeon kids series “Blues Clues,” Steve Burns, left the show to pursue a college education instead of continuing his acting career with his television brother Donovan Patton, a.k.a. Joe. Donovan was the initial go-to replacement for Steve as he was previously introduced to viewers before Steve’s abrupt departure. The surprising switch of characters left small developing children with mixed emotions as their best friend on T.V., who they also looked up to, suddenly made the decision to take a break from the current path he was on.
On September 7, 2021, after 19 years of silence towards the subject, Steve made the executive decision to create a video that apologizes and explains his reasons for leaving. In light of the series 25th year anniversary, Nick Jr. uploaded the two-minute-long video to their Twitter account along with the caption, “So about that time Steve went off to college… #BluesClues25.” A more humanized version of the actor was shown in the video where acknowledged how differently he should have handled the situation while thanking everyone for helping him achieve all he has.
“I wanted to tell you that I really could not have done all of that without your help. And in fact, all the help you helped me with when we were younger is still helping me today, right now. And that’s super cool. I guess I just wanted to say that after all these years, I never forgot you. Ever. And I am super glad we are still friends,” the former “Blues Clues” star stated in the video. Steve Burns hosted the program from 1996 to 2002 and was one of the main reasons for the show’s rising success. The former actor was nominated for a daytime Emmy in 2001 for his gracious efforts towards the series.