'Blue's Clues' Host Steve Burns Had 'Severe Clinical Depression' While Filming Show

Steve Burns is opening up about how difficult it was for him to be the face of the Nickelodeon phenomenon, Blue's Clues. Since his departure from the popular children's program in 2002, there has been much speculation regarding what he's been up to, and what contributed to his exit as he's remained largely out of the spotlight. Aside from coming forward to denounce death rumors, he's been lowkey. But now, he's getting real about the toll filming the show took on him. 

"I didn't know it yet, but I was the happiest depressed person in North America," the now 49-year-old revealed in an interview with Variety published Nov. 16. "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."

Burns began hostin the animated series in 1996 when he was just 22 years old. Prior to that, he'd worked as a voice actor. Burns was a hit with fans, even earning a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2001. But within a year, he moved on from the show. His exit was explained as him going off to college and that his younger brother, Joe — portrayed by Donovan Patton — would take over.

It wasn't until after the show that he got serious about getting help. He told Variety: "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. It wasn't until the death of my father that I really started to take things seriously, and my life became so much more manageable."

He added: "It made me think about things I hadn't thought about, like legacy and the value of the things we've left behind," he shared with the outlet. "It forced me to reevaluate and take much more seriously my mental health. And New York City never was much good for my mental health."

Despite his ups and downs with the character, Burns is set to reprise his role in the upcoming movie Blue's Big City Adventure. In the film, he will join Patton and the new host Josh Dela Cruz. The film premieres on Paramount+ on Friday, November 18.