“Blue’s Clues”' Steve Burns Says It's Been 'Heartbreaking' Learning of “Quiet on Set” Controversy: 'Terrible to Watch'

Burns abruptly left Nickelodeon in 2002 after struggling with severe clinical depression

After years of being a beloved figure to 90s kids around the globe, Nickelodeon alum Steve Burns is breaking his silence on the new bombshells behind the network's alleged toxic past.

The former Blue's Clues icon opened up about learning of the tragic abuse child actors on the network said they endured in Investigation Discovery's new docuseries, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.

Burns starred as Steve on the popular Nick Jr. children's show from 1996 to 2002. Nick Jr. was a morning block that was catered towards preschoolers and toddlers on Nickelodeon, and Burns noted that the programming between the two "were so different."

"We’re in New York, they’re in L.A. There’s no overlap whatsoever between any of those shows and what we were doing," he explained to TODAY.com, adding that he didn't have knowledge of the allegations made against the network during his tenure.

Related: The Biggest Bombshells from 'Quiet on Set,' the Docuseries Alleging Toxic Culture on Nickelodeon Shows

"I don’t have have any particular insight into any of that. I’m coming to it much the same as anyone else, with horror and heartbreak," he reflected. "It’s just terrible to watch it unfold. I don’t know what else to say, other than that it’s heartbreaking."

Burns noted how the public scrutiny brought upon by the documentary must be "unfathomably painful" for the child stars who've come forward.

"The fact that this is now what everyone’s talking about at the water cooler, it just breaks my heart,” he added.

Related: Blue's Clues' Steve Burns Was Initially 'Skeptical' Series Would Work: 'It Was Simply Too Strange'

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV went inside some of the toxic culture of children’s television shows that young actors and others endured in the 1990s and 2000s, including many series produced by Dan Schneider. It also featured interviews with former actors, writers and crew members from hit Nickelodeon shows All That, The Amanda Show and Zoey 101 as they detail the alleged disturbing environment behind the scenes.

Schneider left the network in 2018 after an internal investigation into his allegedly verbally abusive and demanding behavior on set. Schneider has denied allegations of misconduct.

The docuseries' biggest bombshell came from Drake and Josh star, Drake Bell, who came forward about suffering sexual abuse from the hands of Nickelodeon dialogue coach, Brian Peck, over a six-month period when he was 15.

In 2004, in connection with Bell's case, Peck pleaded no contest to a charge of oral copulation with a minor under 16 as well as a charge of performing a lewd act with a teenager. Bell's identity as the victim was not made public as he was a minor at the time. Peck spent 16 months in prison and was mandated to register as a sex offender.

Related: Steve from 'Blue's Clues' Talks About Growing Up and Why He Left Show: 'I Never Forgot About You'

After Burns' sudden exit from Blue's Clues in 2002, he broke his silence on his departure and revealed that he left because of his severe clinical depression 20 years later in November 2022.

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"I didn't know it yet, but I was the happiest depressed person in North America," he told Variety at the time. "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 series was later rebooted and premiered as Blue’s Clues and You in 2019. The new show is hosted by Joshua Dela Cruz. Just like Burns did, Dela Cruz has a Thinking Chair, a Handy Dandy Notebook and friends like Tickety Tock, Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper, Mailbox and Magenta.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

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