Latest news with #SoulBoom
Daily Mail
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Blue's Clue star hints his salary was less than an average waiter... 23 years after he left show
Steve Burns famously produced and hosted the popular children's show Blue's Clues from 1996 until 2002, but it turns out Nickelodeon bosses were surprisingly stingy with his salary. 'Every waiter I ever knew made more money than I did for the first many seasons of that show,' the 51-year-old Young Sheldon actor revealed on Rainn Wilson's Soul Boom podcast last Thursday. 'But I was really fortunate because my real gig - Blue's Clues was my side hustle forever - was I was a voice-over guy. I fell into that early so I was doing kind of voiceover stuff for commercials, which kind of sustained me but, man, it was it was grim for a long time.' At the time, Steve - who suffered from clinical depression - was living 'in a hallway [in Manhattan]. I built like a little shelf in a hallway between two tiny bedrooms.' Nick Jr. reportedly only gave Blue's Clues creators Traci Paige Johnson, Todd Kessler, and Angela C. Santomero $150K to produce the 1994 pilot - about a quarter of the budget for other shows at the time. They were initially looking for a female host, but Burns was the best candidate after over 1K auditions despite him having long hair and an earring at the time. 'I had an audition for what I thought was going to be the voice of a cartoon on a children's television show,' the preschool presenter recalled. 'And when I got there, there was a camera in the room, and I thought, "Oh s***, I better do something. And so I looked at the script, and I figured...I'm going to act the s*** out of this.' Steve was a natural - charming the young millennials and their parents alike as a fictionalized version of himself for six years, shooting nearly 100 episodes. In 2001, Burns announced his exit before being nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding performer in a children's series, which ultimately went to Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton. The Mighty Little Man singer was replaced by actor Donovan Patton, who played Steve's brother Joe for the final two seasons until Blue's Clues concluded in 2006. Josh Dela Cruz, who plays the cousin of Steve and Joe, currently hosts Traci Paige Johnson and Angela C. Santomero's revival Blue's Clues & You! now in its fifth season on YouTube. Steve served as a consulting producer for the revival until 2022, and even directed five episodes. Since 2021, Burns has been reconnecting with fans through his 4.3M TikTok/Instagram following as well as attending numerous conventions. The New York-based Pennsylvanian, Donovan Patton, and Josh Dela Cruz are all scheduled to appear at Motor City Comic Con 2025 taking place May 16-18 in Novi, MI where photos and autographs cost between $50-$200.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Blue's Clues' Reveals Shocking Salary from Hit Show
Blue's Clues' former host, Steve Burns, is a treasure to Millennials who grew up with the Nickelodeon personality. Kids had merchandise with his show's logo and that beloved puppy, Blue, but Burns didn't get to cash in on that success. On the May 1 episode of Rainn Wilson's Soul Boom podcast, the 51-year-old actor described the show as his "side hustle forever." Burns also made a shocking claim about his salary, sharing, "Every waiter I ever knew made more money than I did for the first many seasons of that show." Instead of making his fortune from this TV fame, he was fortunate to also have a successful voice-over career. It was commercials that "kind of sustained" Burns during those years. "But man, it was grim," he added. He was also living a stereotypical struggling actor's life in this Nickelodeon years with his housing accommodations. Burns said he "lived in a hallway [in a NYC apartment]. I built like a little shelf in a hallway between two tiny bedrooms." Burns exited the show in 2002 amid privately suffering with clinical depression. It was a diagnosis that he didn't share with fans until 20 years later. "I didn't know it yet, but I was the happiest depressed person in North America," he 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." Burns now stays in touch with fans on his popular TikTok account. 'My favorite thing about TikTok is that what I'm doing is incredibly simple. Everyone else is doing all the work. And what really gets me is when someone posts something dark, simple, something grim, and everyone else comments to support them,' Burns shared with The New York Times in September 2024. 'I think that's really beautiful. And it's happening just because some middle-aged bald dude in glasses is paying attention.'
Express Tribune
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Steve Burns reflects on early struggles with pay during Blue's Clues, shares his path to fame
Steve Burns, best known for hosting Blue's Clues, recently opened up about the financial struggles he faced during his early years on the show. In an interview with Rainn Wilson on the May 1 episode of the Soul Boom podcast, Burns admitted that his pay for hosting the beloved Nickelodeon children's series was "grim" for a long time. Despite the fame Blue's Clues brought him, Burns revealed that he made less money than many waiters he knew in the early seasons of the show. "Every waiter I ever knew made more money than I did for the first many seasons," Burns said. For much of that time, Burns relied on his voiceover work for commercials to support himself, which he described as his primary income. He even lived in a hallway in a New York City apartment while managing his Blue's Clues duties as a "side hustle." Burns also shared his initial hesitation about the role, recalling that he had no intention of becoming the host. He had originally thought the audition was for a voiceover gig and had never considered working in children's television. 'If I had known that it was to be the guy on the show, I wouldn't have gone,' he said. Despite his reluctance, Burns ultimately decided to go for it, using his acting training from the esteemed Uta Hagen to give the audition his best effort. Burns hosted Blue's Clues from 1996 to 2002. After his departure, Donovan Patton took over as the on-screen host, and the show was later revived with Josh Dela Cruz as the new host in Blue's Clues & You!, with Burns making occasional appearances.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Steve From 'Blue's Clues' Got Honest About His Earnings, And It's Not What You'd Expect
Steve Burns, from the popular '90s children's show 'Blue Clues,' is revealing a surprising detail about his time sitting in the infamous Thinking Chair. While appearing on the podcast Soul Boom, hosted by actor Rainn Wilson, Burns shared candid reflections on his time with the beloved series, which he hosted from 1996 to 2001. 'I got 'Blue's Clues' early, but every waiter I ever knew made more money than I did for the first many seasons of that show,' he revealed. Burns went on to call the show his 'side hustle' based on the modest pay, and credited voiceover work as his main source of income. 'My real gig was, I was a voiceover guy. I fell into that early,' Burns said. He explained commercial voiceovers 'would kind of sustain him,' though he confessed those early years in New York City were 'grim.' As he tells it, he ended up on 'Blue's Clues' by accident just after finishing theater school. 'I thought it was a voice thing, I went to the audition,' Burns said. 'And when I got there, there was a camera in the room. And I thought, 'Oh, shit. I better do something.' And I looked at the script, and, you know, I figured … I'm gonna act the shit out of this.' Burns also opened up about how rumors of his death impacted his mental health. 'I was in kind of the throes of this depression after I left the show,' he explained. 'But what a lot of people don't understand is that, that during the show, the internet was beginning to internet, and the world decided, or a large portion of the world decided, that I had died.' The suicide rumors were 'not what you want to hear when you're severely clinically depressed,' he said. If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat for mental health support. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention. Steve From 'Blue's Clues' Checks In On Fans After Documentary On Alleged Child Star Abuse Steve From 'Blue's Clues' Shares Gutting Revelation About Fake Death Rumors Steve From 'Blue's Clues' Comforts Fans After The Election Without Even Saying Anything
New York Post
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘Blue's Clues' star Steve Burns says waiters ‘made more money' than he did on the show
This is nothing to sing about. 'Blue's Clues' star Steve Burns made a surprising admission about his time working on the beloved children's show. On Thursday's episode of actor Rainn Wilson's 'Soul Boom' podcast, Burns revealed that waiters 'made more money' than he did while hosting the Nickelodeon hit. 'I got 'Blue's Clues' early, but every waiter I ever knew made more money than I did for the first many seasons of that show,' the 51-year-old actor said. 'But I was really fortunate, because 'Blue's Clues' was my side hustle forever.' 6 Steve Burns joined Rainn Wilson's 'Soul Boom' podcast on Thursday, May 1. Soul Boom/YouTube 6 Steve Burns starred in 'Blue's Clues' from 1996 to 2002. 'My real gig was, I was a voiceover guy,' he added. 'I fell into that early.' Burns started his acting career in New York City in the early 1990s. While he told Wilson that he initially dreamed of being either 'an unknown actor who did Off-Broadway stuff' or 'Al Pacino,' he ultimately landed the gig as the host of 'Blue's Clues' in 1996. But the Nickelodeon job of a lifetime happened 'entirely by accident' because he originally thought he was auditioning for just another voiceover project. 6 Steve Burns and Rainn Wilson during the 'Soul Boom' podcast on Thursday, May 1. Soul Boom/YouTube 'One day, I had an audition for what I thought was going to be the voice of a cartoon on a children's television show. And if I had known that it was going to be 'the guy on the show,' on camera, I wouldn't have gone,' he explained. 'Not only because I was a pretentious young man at the time – that was part of it – but also because children's television had never occurred to me.' Burns continued, 'I thought it was a voice thing. I went to the audition. And when I got there, there was a camera in the room. And I thought, 'Oh, s–t. I better do something.' Yeah. And so I looked at the script, and, you know, I figured … I'm gonna act the s–t out of this.' The 'Blue's Clues' star remained on the popular kids' show until 2002, when he left to focus on his mental health. However, rumors soon spread that he had reportedly died. 6 The actor abruptly left 'Blue's Clues' in 2002. WireImage It wasn't until 20 years later, in 2022, that Burns announced he had been diagnosed with clinical depression shortly before departing the series. 'It was something I would hear from people. 'Oh, I thought you were dead. Didn't you die?' And when it persists for 10 years, it feels like a cultural preference, and you start to feel like you're supposed to be,' he admitted to Wilson. 'I was in, kind of, the throes of this depression after I left the show,' Burns continued. 'But what a lot of people don't understand is that during the show, the internet was beginning to internet and the world decided, or a large portion of the world decided, that I had died.' 6 Steve Burns revealed in 2022 that he left 'Blue's Clues' because he was suffering from clinical depression. Nathan Posner/Shutterstock Although Burns remained in NYC after leaving 'Blue's Clues,' he said that there 'was about 10 years' where he 'did nothing' with himself. 'I built a house in Brooklyn and never left it. I call it 'the gray' of my life,' he said. 'It was about 10 years where I did nothing but, like, drink a couple of bottles of wine every night alone, watch 'MythBusters' and just eat Pad Thai.' 'I gained, like, 50 pounds. I was completely unrecognizable. I didn't recognize myself. And everyone thought I was dead,' Burns continued. 'And eventually, I started playing along. You know, that was the strategy. Was just, maybe I am.' 6 Steve Burns promoting 'Blue's Clues' in 1998. Getty Images Burns ultimately got himself back on track, and he has since returned to Nickelodeon to write for and make a cameo in the 'Blue's Clues' revival, 'Blue's Clues & You!' He also took to TikTok in March 2024 to 'check in' on the audience that grew up watching him more than 20 years earlier. 'Hey, I'm checking in,' he said in the moving clip at the time. 'What's going on?'
