Bert and Ernie - the cohabiting male puppets from
the children's TV programme Sesame Street- are "best friends," the
show's producers said Tuesday, denying comments from one of its
writers who said they were a gay couple.
Writer Mark Saltzman, who joined the show in 1984, told LGBTQ news
website Queerty that the puppet duo was based on his relationship
with film editor Arnold Glassman.
"I always felt that without a huge agenda, when I was writing Bert
and Ernie, they were [a couple]," Saltzman said. "I didn't have any
other way to contextualize them."
Saltzman added: "I don't think I'd know how else to write them, but
as a loving couple."
The show's production company, however, denied Saltzman's comments.
"As we have always said, Bert and Ernie are best friends," Sesame
Workshop said in a statement posted on Twitter. "Even though they are
identified as male characters and possess many human traits, they
remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation."
"Sesame Street has always stood for inclusion and acceptance," the
company said in a second statement. "It's a place where people of all
cultures and backgrounds are welcome."
The nature of the puppets' relationship - they share a bedroom but
sleep in separate beds - has long been a subject of speculation.
A 2013 issue of the New Yorker magazine featured on its cover a
drawing of Ernie resting his head on Bert's shoulder while watching
news of a Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage on TV.