Those who grew up watching Nickelodeon shows experienced quite the shock this week after Investigation Discovery released its docuseries "Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV."
The four-part series features allegations from former child actors, denouncing the toxic environment behind the scenes of several popular Nickelodeon series throughout the late '90s and early '00s during Dan Schneider's tenure as a producer for the network.
Highlights
- A new documentary by Investigation Discovery exposes the dark side of Nickelodeon's 90s and early ’00s shows.
- Amid the stars' disturbing allegations, Steve Burns checked in on fans with a nostalgic "listening" video.
- Steve hosted the Nickelodeon kid's show “Blue’s Clues” from 1996 to 2002.
One of the stars to step forward with his story was Drake Bell, who famously starred in "Drake & Josh" from 2004 to 2007. During an interview, Drake said that he had been sexually abused by actor and dialect coach Brian Peck.
Image credits: Investigation Discovery
"Anytime I had an audition or needed to work on dialogue or anything, I somehow ended up back at Brian's house. And it just got worse, and worse, and worse, and worse, and worse, and I was just trapped," the actor shared.
Furthermore, the Investigation Discovery docuseries unveiled unsettling cases of mistreatment of stars of shows like "The Amanda Show," "Sam & Cat," and "All That."
In light of these revelations, many interpreted the recent message from "Blue's Clues" host Steve Burns as an invitation for viewers to express their emotions in response to the documentary.
On Thursday (March 21), Steve shared an inquisitive video with his 1.8 million TikTok followers, asking how they were doing.
Steve, who hosted the Nickelodeon kid's TV show from 1996 to 2002, simply said, "Hey, I'm checking in. Tell me, what's going on?"
In light of the revelations, "Blue's Clues" host Steve Burns surprised people with a question
Image credits: KIDS Global
The 50-year-old actor continued by sitting in silence for a minute, looking directly into the camera and nodding his head as if he was listening to his viewers.
The video recreates the dynamic of "Blue's Clues" when Steve paused to hear what his young audience had to say about the clues left by the blue-spotted dog.
At the end of the clip—liked by almost half a million people—Steve said, "OK. Alright, well, it's good to hear from you. And you look great, by the way."
The actor was 22 years old when he joined the series, leaving a mark on the childhood of millions of 90's kids until he left the show to go to college and was replaced by Donovan Patton.
Steve asked his former viewers how they were, mirroring a scene from the beloved show
Image credits: hioutthereitsmesteve
People were surprised by Steve's video, considering he's typically inactive on TikTok.
"Steve really realizes that sometimes only he can check in on the kids he raised. It's something," someone wrote.
Another person commented, "After the Nickelodeon documentary, Steve, all I need is my Blue's Clues to save whatever is left of this childhood I once had.."
"Thank you for being one of the GOOD parts of Nickelodeon, Steve," a third user expressed.
"I feel like he knew that the Nickelodeon fans needed this after the documentary came out," somebody else wrote.
A separate TikTok user gave a sincere answer to the former host's question, writing, "Life keeps handing me lemons, and I don't know how many more I can turn into lemonade. I'm tired, Steve."
Watch Steve's video below
Another person urged Steve to clear the air about his beloved show and reassure viewers that the workplace was safe. "Please tell me that Blue's Clues was always a safe place. After that documentary, I can't have this place be sad too," they commented.
While Steve hasn't addressed that particular aspect of the show, he has spoken about his mental health struggles during his time on the series.
In a 2022 interview with Variety, the Nickelodeon star said he was "struggling with severe clinical depression the whole time" he was working as a host.
"It was my job to be utterly and completely full of joy and wonder at all times, and that became impossible," Steve explained.
"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."
"You're the only part of my childhood that feels safe," someone wrote
