It’s no secret that depression can affect anyone. In fact, there are many Hollywood stars and celebrities who have admitted to feeling depressed at some point in their lives.Some examples of actors who battled with mental health issues in recent years include Kit Harrington following the end of Game of Thrones and Brad Pitt after his divorce from Angelina Jolie.While he seemed very happy on-screen, we now know that Steve Burns was battling depression while he was the host of Blue’s Clues.In fact, this is the reason why Steve abruptly left the show back in 2002. Fortunately, Steve seems to be in a better place now and happily accepted to reprise his role for a new Blue’s Clues movie!Related: What Happened To ‘Blue’s Clues’ Host, Steve Burns?

Steve Burns Starred In Blues Clues For Six Years

Steve Burns is an actor, television host, and musician that is best known as the original host of the long-running children's television show Blue's Clues. Believe it or not, producers weren’t so sure about Steve when he first auditioned for the show in 1995.

Steve admitted that when he auditioned for Blue’s Clues, he had long hair and an earring. "I was a bit of a skate rat," he told The New York Times. Because of this, the Nickelodeon executives were not sure that Burns would be a good fit for the show. That’s why for the subsequent auditions, the show's creators asked him to dress more conservatively.

Related: The Real Reason Why Steve Burns Left 'Blue's Clues'

After several rounds of auditions, it became apparent that Steve was the favorite with preschool test audiences. Executive producer and co-creator Traci Paige Johnson admitted that of the 100 people they auditioned, Burns was the best choice. It’s clear that they made the right choice. After all, Steve Burns would go on to host Blue's Clues from 1996 to 2002, and he even received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2001 for his work on the show.

Steve Burns Has Revealed He Was Battling Depression While Filming Blues Clues

In 2002, fans were shocked to learn that Steve Burns would be leaving Blue’s Clues. Steve was replaced by Donovan Patton, who played Joe (Steve’s brother) until the show came to an end in 2006.

For many years, it wasn’t clear why Steve Burns left the show. There were many rumors, and the actor would even joke that he was beginning to lose his hair and didn't want to wear a wig on TV. It wasn’t until recently that Steve revealed that the real reason that led to him leaving Blue’s Clues was that he was battling with depression while filming the show.

“I didn’t know it yet, but I was the happiest depressed person in North America,” the former kids’ Burns admitted in an interview with Variety earlier this year.

“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.”

Related: This Is Steve's Life After 'Blue's Clues'

He went on to say, “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.”

Luckily, Steve Burns Got Better And Even Came Back To Reprise His Role For The Blue's Big City Adventure

Following his departure from Blue’s Clues, Steve Burns took some time to heal before focusing on other aspects of his career. He kept acting, landing some small roles in several movies, and worked on his music career. In 2016, he released a children's album with Drozd, titled Foreverywhere under the name "STEVENSTEVEN".

Related: Blue’s Clues Is Back With A New Look On Nickelodeon

Moreover, Steve never truly left Blue’s Clues for good. He came back to direct, write, produce, and occasionally guest star in the revival series Blue’s Clues & You! since its premiere in 2019. And, most recently, he came back to reprise his role for the movie Blue’s Big City Adventure (2022).