Steve Burns, the original host of the long-running children's preschool television program Blue's Clues, in an interview with Variety, addressed the various rumours of his depression and death that circulated after he left the show in 2001. He is set to reprise his role in the "Blue's Clues" universe in the movie "Blue's Big City Adventure."

When Steve exited the show 21 years ago, the role of the host was transferred over to Donovan Patton, who played Joe, Steve's little brother. The storyline presented was that Steve's departure was because went off to college. However, many online trolls asserted that this was a cover-up by "Nickelodeon" and proliferated dark theories and conspiracies of the actor's death being the true cause of his exit.

Forum posts would posit that the actor died in a tragic car accident or through a heroin overdose. Some fringe forums even linked his death to a murder committed by one of the "Blue's Clues" producers or an unsuccessful attempt to fight the Taliban.

However, Steve Burns has finally revealed that the real reason he chose to leave the show was that he was pushing 30, and he felt that it was time for him to move on and try other things. He said, "I wasn't going to be boyish anymore."

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Though he tried to dispel rumours of his death by making several media appearances over the years, he was still haunted by persistent conspiracies. "I was under the working assumption that most of y'all thought I was dead. That rumour was so persistent and so indelible that I assumed it was a cultural preference. I eventually just took the hint. I kept my head down and left public life," he said.

Watch Steve Burns return to his iconic "Blue's Clues" role in the film "Blue's Big City Adventure" which drops on Paramount+ on Nov. 18.

Blues Clues and Steve Burns
IBT