Fans were elated to recently learn that, after years of speculating, television’s most iconic duo, Bert and Ernie, were gay. But now, “Sesame Street” writer Mark Saltzman says that his comments about writing Bert and Ernie as a gay couple based on his personal relationship with his partner were misinterpreted.
“As a writer, you just bring what you know into your work,” he told the New York Times on Tuesday. “Somehow, in the uproar, that turned into Bert and Ernie being gay. There is a difference.”
Saltzman, who was a writer for “Sesame Street” in the 1980s and 1990s, told the Times that he did not restrict the characters to one, or any, sexual orientation, adding that while he believes the educational program should include a gay couple, it should be done with human characters, not puppets.
He did not deny, however, that the two characters have a deep connection.
“They are two guys who love each other,” Saltzman said. “That’s who they are.”
The recurring question about Bert and Ernie’s sexual orientation came to the forefront this week when Saltzman told Queerty that he wrote the two characters as a “loving couple,” modeling the puppets’ relationship after his own with long-time partner Arnold Glassman.
“I always felt that without a huge agenda, when I was writing Bert and Ernie, they were [gay],” Mark Saltzman told Queerty. “I didn’t have any other way to contextualize them.”
“I wrote sketches…Arnie’s OCD would create friction with how chaotic I was. And that’s the Bert and Ernie dynamic,” he added.
Frank Oz, who helped create Bert and Ernie nearly 50 years ago, said on Twitter on Tuesday that the characters were not gay.
“It seems Mr. Mark Saltzman was asked if Bert & Ernie are gay. It’s fine that he feels they are. They’re not, of course,” Oz said. “But why that question? Does it really matter? Why the need to define people as only gay? There’s much more to a human being than just straightness or gayness.”
It seems Mr. Mark Saltzman was asked if Bert & Ernie are gay. It’s fine that he feels they are. They’re not, of course. But why that question? Does it really matter? Why the need to define people as only gay? There’s much more to a human being than just straightness or gayness.
— Frank Oz (@TheFrankOzJam) September 18, 2018
He added in one reply: “I created Bert. I know what and who he is.”
Oz’s comments drew mixed reactions, with some fans upset over what they perceived to be dismissive statements from the puppeteer.
“I understand,” Oz wrote to a fan. “It must make you feel very alone. But please read what I wrote: I’m very pleased people see themselves and others in a character I created, but that does not change the truth of who or what that character is.”
After Saltzman’s interview renewed dialogue about Bert and Ernie’s relationship, Sesame Workshop released a statement, writing that Bert and Ernie were merely “best friends.”
“They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves,” Sesame Workshop’s statement said. “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.”
Later Tuesday, Sesame Workshop issued a second statement, writing, “Sesame Street has always stood for inclusion and acceptance. It’s a place where people of all cultures and backgrounds are welcome.”
Please see our most recent statement regarding Bert and Ernie below. pic.twitter.com/gWTF2k1y83
— Sesame Workshop (@SesameWorkshop) September 18, 2018
The speculation about Bert and Ernie’s relationship is not new.
In fact, according to the Times, Bert and Ernie came to symbolize gay rights when they were featured on the cover of The New Yorker after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage. The cover showed the two puppets cuddling in front of the television, with the image of the Supreme Court justices on the screen.
We may never know Bert and Ernie’s true sexual orientation, or perhaps, as Sesame Workshop says, they are simply puppets and don’t have a sexual orientation. And that’s okay.
In the end, the puppets are, as Saltzman described, an example of love, meant to help young children through the issues of their young lives.
“It’s like poetry,” Saltzman said. “It’s what you need it to be.”