Heartfelt Message From Former 'Blue's Clues' Host Steve Has Millennials Feeling All Sorts of Ways

Mel Dawn

Sep 8, 2021 11:00 AM EDT

Remember in 2002 when Steve from Blue's Clues suddenly left the show to 'go to college' and had his brother Joe take over for him? Some of us had moved onto more mature television by then, like SpongeBob Squarepants, but the younger millennials likely remember the heartache they felt as Steve walked out that door and never came back. Well, after 25 years of Blue's Clues, Steve has returned with a wholesome message for all the grown-up Blue fans out there, and yes, we're crying.

So about that time Steve went off to college… #BluesClues25 pic.twitter.com/O8NOM2eRjy
— Nick Jr. (@nickjr) September 7, 2021

So where did Steve go in 2002? Shortly after his departure, disturbing rumors spread about Steve—that he'd died in a horrific car accident, or went to rehab for drug addiction. The truth is, Steve was 29 years old at the time and was starting to show signs of aging. In a 2010 interview on Nickelodeon, Steve speaks frankly about his reasons for leaving, explaining that 'I knew I wasn't going to be doing children's television all my life, mostly because I refused to lose my hair on a kids TV show. And it was happening. Fast.' And so Steve moved on, leaving a new generation of Blue's Clues fans with a bright-eyed new host.

It's hard not to watch Steve's message without feeling that twinge of nostalgia for innocence and simpler times, when searching for paw prints was the extent of our problems. Younger millennials and parents who remember turning the show on for their kids are expressing all sorts of feelings on Twitter—some are grateful for the uplifting message they didn't know they needed, while others reflect on how challenging the past couple decades have been. One thing's for sure, Steve's message has touched the hearts of jaded grown-ups everywhere.

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