It's sexuality that is driving the conversation.
There's always been something of a low hum surrounding the two puppets and how close they really are but Mark Saltzman – a writer for 'Sesame Street' between 1981 and 1990 – has told Queerty he had unintentionally written the characters as gay.
Then, the official Twitter for Sesame Workshop chimed in, denying this claim by assuring fans that the pair are 'best friends'.
Please see our most recent statement regarding Bert and Ernie below. pic.twitter.com/gWTF2k1y83
— Sesame Workshop (@SesameWorkshop) September 18, 2018
"I always felt that without a huge agenda, when I was writing Bert and Ernie, they were [gay]," Mark said.
He also mentioned that the couple's back-and-forths often echoed his own relationship.
Legendary puppeteer Frank Oz – behind such characters as Miss Piggy and Grover – tweeted that they weren't gay and that it shouldn't matter.
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 has a point... But no one in their right mind taking part in this discussion is trying to define them as 'only gay'... We just want a little confirmation that our 'Sesame Street' faves are in fact, gay icons.
And so the discussion continues. What do you think?
