90s Nostalgia: Bill Nye and Steve Unite in Rare Interview

It's been a significant year for adults who came of age in the1990sand early 2000s already, fromHilary Duff's upcoming tourto the announcement of a20th anniversary Hannah Montana specialbut true '90s kids will find a special thrill in the news thatBlue's Clues original host Steve Burnsand every millennial's favorite scientist,Bill Nye, sat down together for an interview.

On Burns' podcast Alive with Steve Burns, Bill Nye, the Science Guystar Nye and Blue's Clues OG Burns discussed the parallels and significance of their respective programs, especially concerning their role in educating children on critical thinking and logical reasoning abilities.

Talking to Nye, Burns said, "I always kind of viewed our show as a way to get people interested in your show. You know, because we had a similar purpose. We had a similar objective. You were explaining the scientific method; we were teaching preschoolers how to use deductive reasoning and critical thinking. All I did was run around the house looking for clues, right? So we could think about them carefully before making up our minds. That's what we were doing."

Nye replied, "I caught part of your show; I didn't hear the word 'critical' very often because it wasn't necessary."

"Right, no, we were just simulating it. You know, we weren't stating it; we were just performing it," Burns responded.

This discussion, along with Burns' podcast as a whole, reflects a minor change in direction for Burns, though it's not a total break from his time at Nickelodeon. While he no longer searches for clues or sings the "Mail Time" song with a cartoon dog, Burns has kept engaging with his (now much older) audience through motivational and educational videos, especially onTikTok.

Similarly, Nye remains visible in the public sphere, and, more recently, he has resigned from his position as CEO of The Planetary Society— a role he had occupied since 2010—and has started a new position at the organization as Chief Ambassador.

Fortunately, for millennials who were raised on these programs, it appears Burns or Nye are not going anywhere anytime soon.