Even though it’s been decades since Steve Burns searched for an animated dog on the popular children’s TV show Blue’s Clues, his ever-wholesome career still presents challenges in his personal life.
“I can’t even bring myself to talk dirty,” Burns, 52, said on the Wednesday, October 22, episode of his “Alive” podcast. “You know what it is? Maybe I could have in another life ‘cause I was a voiceover guy forever, that’s what I did.”
He continued, “I feel, like, because of my old job, I’m not allowed to do that. I think it’s vestigial from how I evolved professionally, like, I wouldn’t even know how to do it. I feel if I tried to do it, it would have to be super-nice guy, like, ‘Hey baby girl, I’m so valuing your perspective right now.’”
Burns played Steve, the live-action host, on Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Clues from 1996 to 2002. When Burns left the beloved mostly animated series, his character went off to college. He was succeeded by Donovan Patton (Joe) and Josh De La Cruz (Josh) in subsequent seasons.
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In the years since his Blue’s Clues tenure, Burns launched his “Alive” podcast to dole out pearls of wisdom to fans. On Wednesday’s episode, he spoke with Boy Meets World alum Maitland Ward, who has since transitioned her career to adult entertainment.
“I think that’s your value,” Ward, 48, told Burns on his podcast. “I think it’s a little bit different in your personal maturity talking. Sometimes it can feel a little silly in your personal [life,] but I feel going on porn sets and doing this … is for a professional job. It’s a place where I can do everything that I want to do, and the other people in the scene are totally into that. It’s a really freeing experience to explore sexually.”
Ward further proclaimed that Burns would be good at dirty talk because of “the grit” in his voice.
“You’ve really opened my mind a lot here. I think maybe I should drop an OnlyFans where I just do that [and] where I just say validating things,” Burns mused. “Like, ‘What have you done to your hair? It looks absolutely fantastic. Don’t change a thing.’”
Burns also revealed that he could say other lines, like, “No, I’m totally listening. Please tell me everything about Brenda at work.”
“I feel like I could do that,” he said on Wednesday. “I do feel a little more comfortable talking about some of this stuff. I think it’s because I used to be on kids’ TV and people tell me, ‘You were a big part of our childhoods.’ I feel like I’m not allowed to talk about sex or have a sex life. I know that I am, but sometimes it feels that way.”
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As Burns leans into accepting his sexuality, it seems that many of his fans are behind him wholeheartedly.
“Steve, we all grown now. It’s OK,” one social media user wrote via TikTok, with another adding, “Praise king is a thing, and trust me, we are here for it.”
A third social media user added, “Through in a ‘good girl’ every once in a while and you’ll be a top 1 percent earner in a week!”
