Steve Didn’t Leave Blues Clues to Fight in Afghanistan
The Claim
Steve Burns, the longtime host of Nickelodeon children's show Blue's Clues, left the show to go fight the war in Afghanistan.
News posted on
Emerging story
On September 7, 2021, Burns posted a video discussing his departure from the show in 2002.
Social media users began questioning why he left the show in the first place, with several claiming that he left to fight in the war in Afghanistan.
Misbar’s Analysis
MENA: We discovered that the claim seems to stem from a version of Burns’ Wikipedia page shared by many social media users. The version says that Burns is best known for Blue’s Clues and “for serving as an operator in clandestine operations against the Taliban from 2002 to 2021.”
However, Burns’ Wikipedia page has since been changed; the previous version appears to be an internet prank. His page was edited dozens of times after he posted the viral video.
In multiple interviews, Burns said that the reason he left the show is that it was “simply time to go.” We checked, and every year from 2002 until now he has made some form of public appearance, meaning he could not have been in Afghanistan.
