Sesame Street Writer Confirms Bert and Ernie's Relationship Status

Anyone who grew up watching Sesame Street has some fond memories of Big Bird, Elmo, and the gang. And if you're gay, you probably most fondly remember Bert and Ernie. The lovable roommates have long been assumed to be a gay couple.

Writer Mark Saltzman has finally settled that rumor in an interview with Queerty.

"I remember one time that a column from The San Francisco Chronicle, a preschooler in the city turned to mom and asked 'Are Bert & Ernie lovers?' And that, coming from a preschooler was fun. And that got passed around, and everyone had their chuckle and went back to it. And I always felt that without a huge agenda, when I was writing Bert and Ernie, they were. I didn't have any other way to contextualize them. The other thing was, more than one person referred to Arnie & I as 'Bert and Ernie.'"

Arnold (Arnie) Glassman was Saltzman's partner, and he considers their relationship the subconscious inspiration for the puppet couple. In the interview, he discusses coming out while working on the show. He also talks discusses the AIDS outbreak and how it affected their work.