'Sesame Street' writer Mark Saltzman now says Bert and Ernie are "guys who love each other" but not exactly a couple

The show had pushed back after writer Mark Sultzman said he based Bert and Ernie's plot on his own same-sex relationship and considered the characters gay
UPDATED SEP 19, 2018

Just a day after social media buzzed into uproar after the harsh denial of Sesame Street regarding the sexual nature of Bert and Ernie's relationship, writer Mark Saltzman backed off a bit from his opinion that the beloved peppet characters were gay.

Talking to the New York Times on Tuesday, Saltzman clarified that his insights on the characters' relationship was misinterpreted.

He said: “As a writer, you just bring what you know into your work. Somehow, in the uproar, that turned into Bert and Ernie being gay. There is a difference.”

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