Muppet Sex Rumor: Ernie and Bert Just Ducky

Jan. 21, 2004 — -- Just like Tom Cruise, Muppet stars Ernie and Bert have, at times, threatened to sue over persistent rumors about their sexuality, to prove that they're not gay.

With reports Thursday that Christian conservatives were issuing a gay alert warning over a children's video featuring SpongeBob, it's interesting to note how some puppet and cartoon characters have had their personal lives examined, as if they were real celebrities.

Whispers have dogged the "Sesame Street" legends. They live together. They sing silly songs. They bicker like husband and wife. One has a curious obsession with his rubber ducky.

Not that there's anything wrong with being a gay Muppet, but the Children's Television Workshop insists that it's simply untrue -- and they're not kidding.

In April 2002, "Sesame Street" threatened to take legal action against Peter Spears, the director of "Ernest and Bertram," an 8-minute spoof on hot puppet love. It ends with a distraught Ernest taking his own life.

At the Sundance Film Festival that year, "Ernest and Bertram" generated some buzz and seemed destined to play at similar film festivals. But with CTW lawyers threatening, the movie was forced back in the closet.

Even before this incident, Ernie and Bert have been under constant attack. In 1993, TV Guide received dozens of letters railing against "Sesame Street" for condoning a homosexual relationship. Shortly after, a North Carolina preacher began a campaign on his radio show to ban them for their immorality.

In "Hollywood Urban Legends," critic Richard Roeper traces the rumors of Ernie and Bert's sexuality to "Spy" magazine founder Kurt Anderson.

"Bert and Ernie conduct themselves in the same loving, discreet way that millions of gay men, women and hand puppets do," Anderson wrote. "They do their jobs well and live a splendidly settled life together in an impeccably decorated cabinet."

Of course, some people didn't get the joke. The situation grew so unpleasant that the Children's Television Workshop had to issue this infamous 1993 press release:

"Bert and Ernie, who've been on Sesame Street for 25 years, do not portray a gay couple, and there are no plans for them to do so in the future. They are puppets, not humans. Like all the Muppets created for Sesame Street, they were designed to help educate preschoolers. Bert and Ernie are characters who help demonstrate to children that despite their differences, they can be good friends."