Steve Burns Reveals the Real Reason He Left 'Blue's Clues'

Steve Burns‘ departure from Blue’s Clues left a generation reeling, and he’s now opening up about the decision to leave.

The 49-year-old host of the beloved children’s show opened up about why he abruptly left the Nickelodeon show back in 2002, which was explained to viewers as his character’s decision to head off to college.

In a new interview, Steve revealed the real reason he stepped away from the show.

“I didn’t know it yet, but I was the happiest depressed person in North America,” he said to Variety, adding that it was his time to walk away at almost 30 years old. He also said the wig he wore on TV was starting to make him lose his hair.

“I wasn’t going to be boyish anymore,” he said.

“I was struggling with severe clinical depression the whole time I was on that show. It was my job to be utterly and completely full of joy and wonder at all times, and that became impossible.”

“I was always able to dig and find something that felt authentic to me that was good enough to be on the show, but after years and years of going to the well without replenishing it, there was a cost,” he continued.

“My strategy had been: ‘Hey, you got a great thing going, so just fight it!’ Turns out, you don’t fight depression; you collect it. After I left Blue’s Clues, there was a long period of healing.”

He said his father’s death in 2015 after a battle with cancer changed his life perspective.

“I cared for him while he was dying of cancer, and it changed me. It made me think about things I hadn’t thought about, like legacy and the value of the things we’ve left behind. It forced me to reevaluated and take much more seriously my mental health.”

He will be returning to Blue’s Big City Adventure, airing Friday (November 18) on Paramount+.

“I’ve never enjoyed being Steve more than I do now. I get to wear a trenchcoat. It’s like Grover-meets-Columbo—a clown character. That’s really freeing somehow,” he said. Watch the trailer!