Writer Says Bert & Ernie Are Gay, But Sesame Street Denies It

Earlier today, it was reported that Sesame Street writer Mark Saltzman wrote the characters Bert & Ernie as if they were a gay couple, based off of his own relationship with his own partner Arnold Glassman.

“I always felt that without a huge agenda, when I was writing Bert and Ernie, they were [a gay couple.] I didn’t have any other way to contextualize them," Saltzman told Queerty in an interview about the beloved characters, who have often rumored to be in some kind of relationship throughout the long-running show's history. 

Despite positive fan feedback from Saltzman's revelation, it looks like Sesame Street is distancing itself, and its characters, from his comments.

"As we have always said, Bert and Ernie are best friends," Sesame Workshop, Sesame Street's nonprofit organization, said in a statement posted on Twitter. "They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves." 

"Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics (as most Sesame Street Muppets do), they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation."

While it would have been cool to confirm that Bert & Ernie were indeed queer, it looks like the people behind Sesame Street don't seem to think so...