For kids across America, April 29, 2002 was a tearful day, as it marked the airing of Steve Burns’ final “Blue’s Clues” episode. After six years of engaging young audiences to help him track down paw prints and document everything in his handy dandy notebook, Burns decided it was time to hang up his green striped shirt and pass the torch to Donovan Patton, who is introduced as Steve’s younger brother Joe. It’s an emotional departure, with the Season 4 finale showing Steve heading off to college. But Burns didn’t actually part ways with the show to further his education.

Not only was Burns approaching 30 and steadily aging out of the role, but he was also depressed and needed some help. “I didn’t know it yet, but I was the happiest depressed person in North America,” Burns told Variety. “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.”

Following his departure from “Blue’s Clues,” Steve Burns did what his character would do and asked for some help. He told Today, “That is the great lesson that Steve taught me: There is no shame in asking for help. Sometimes you need that person to listen, and asking for help is not an act of weakness. It’s a confrontational act of strength, actually. It sounds simple, but that act was the most transformative act of my entire life. And it’s a lesson I learned from Steve, which is a cool, full circle moment.”

As part of his journey to wellness, Burns traded the hustle and bustle of New York City for a peaceful and secluded area in the Catskills. Post-“Blue’s Clues,” he also poured himself into other passions, including music. In 2003, Burns released the 12-track “Songs for Dust Mites,” which includes “Mighty Little Man” — the iconic theme song of the CBS series “Young Sheldon.” The “Blue’s Clues” legend appeared in a few episodes of “Young Sheldon” as Nathan, whom Sheldon (Iain Armitage) befriends due to their shared love of “Star Trek.” Burns went on to drop the LP “Foreverywhere” in 2017. This was a collaborative project with Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips, with the two musicians dubbing their duo StevenSteven. 

Steve Burns certainly needed to distance himself from the public eye for a little while for his mental health. But now, in middle age, he’s diving headfirst back into the world of “Blue’s Clues.” In addition to serving as a consulting producer on three seasons of “Blue’s Clues & You,” which ran from 2019-2022, he joined his successors Donovan Patton and Josh Dela Cruz in the 2022 film “Blue’s Big City Adventure,” which was received well by critics and fans alike.

Though he once dreamed of being cast in more serious roles, even making his professional acting debut on “Law & Order,” Burns came to embrace his status as a childhood icon. For him, it was an absolute joy to return to the character of Steve for “Blue’s Big City Adventure,” especially as he got to change up his character’s famous wardrobe. “I’ve never enjoyed being Steve more than I do now,” he told Variety. “I get to wear a trench coat. It’s like Grover-meets-Columbo — a clown character. That’s really freeing somehow.”

Burns was never the same after “Blue’s Clues,” but he understands how much of a positive impact he had on so many childhoods and often utilizes TikTok to speak directly to his audiences, just as he did so many years ago. But now, he’s not asking them to help find clues. Those audience members are all grown up with adult struggles and responsibilities. After asking, “What’s new?,” Burns pauses for nearly a minute, allowing his followers to vent about their hardships or gush about their wins in an exchange that feels comfortable and familiar.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.