If you were a “Blue’s Clues” household in the late 90’s and early aughts, then the shows host, Steve Burns was as beloved as the that adorable dog, Blue.

So when Steve Burns announced he was “leaving for college” and left the show, hearts young and old were shattered. For the first time since that day in 2002, Steve has opened up about the real reason he left all those years ago. And, yes, it’s heartbreaking.

In a recent interview with, Variety, Steve said, “I didn’t know it yet, but I was the happiest depressed person in North America. 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.”

The super popular kids show, which first aired in 1996, featured Blue leaving clues in the form of paw prints and Steve going on all sorts of adventures, following the clues and talking directly to audiences, was, like any other kids show, full of energy and curiosity.

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“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 added.

Filling someone else’s cup when your own is empty or draining fast, is as common to motherhood as it is, probably, to any other profession where you are constantly “on” and have to show up with a certain happy presence. But, as it inevitably does, all of that give eventually takes a toll on you.

“My strategy had been: ‘Hey, you got a great thing going, so just fight it!'” he explained, “Turns out, you don’t fight depression; you collect it.”

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As heartbreaking as that is all on its own to be suffering from mental health and be in the public eye, Steve also shared that there was more to the story. He talked about his hair loss, how he “wasn’t going to be boyish anymore” and how everything pointed to the fact that he needed to move on from the show despite it’s hit status.

Since he made the decision to step away, he said that he’s had a “long period of healing.” He not only dealt with the loss of a parent but he also completely left the public eye for a very long time.

That is, until 2021 when this video went viral on social media and all of the 90’s babies rejoiced (and cried.)

Steve assured his long-time fans, the adults who still remember him, that he has never forgotten them. It’s a tear-jerker of a video for sure!

Now, the tide has come full circle because Steve, who has appeared in a few episodes of the revival series “Blue’s Clues and You” on Paramount+, will also be appearing in the upcoming live-action movie, “Blue’s Big City Adventure.” The movie will be released on Paramount+ on November 18.

In the same article, Steve Burns also mentioned that he now travels around the country and talks about mental health. He said, “But Steve became my role model. Because he was not afraid to ask for help.”