Steve Burns was expecting to meet with some of his many fans when he attended Steel City Con in Pennsylvania, but he was pleasantly surprised to see an old friend come to see him after the two first met 22 years ago. Back in 2000, when Burns was still serving as the host of Blue's Clues, he granted a Make-A-Wish recipient's wish of spending the day with him. That 4-year-old boy, now a 25-year-old cancer survivor, approached Burns at the convention, and it was an emotional reunion for them both.
The Burns fan, Brandon Ragland, shared the details of the reunion with TMZ. Ragland, who was battling stage 4 cancer in his kidneys and lungs at the time, first met Burns at Serendipity 3 in New York in 2000. The experience included dinner with Burns, a Toys R Us shopping spree, and tickets to see Blue's Clues Live in NYC. Burns is said to recall Ragland as a "wild child running around the restaurant," clearly elated by the experience despite his health struggles.
Ragland overcame his cancer and is now a thriving young man with a family of his own. But he never forgot that special day, and wanted to give Burns his thanks 22 years later. When he approached Burns at the convention, Ragland showed the Blue's Clues star a picture of them from their dinner together. Burns immediately recalled their first meeting and was thrilled by it, asking if they could take an updated picture together.
"I remember this and you!" Burns told Ragland as the two hugged. He added, "This made my entire year and I'm so glad you're here."
Ragland had also shared his photos with Burns from both meetings in a post on Facebook that went viral. He similarly tells the story of getting emotional with Burns when they reunited, making this second meeting another remarkable experience.
"One of the nicest and most genuine people I’ve had the pleasure to meet," Ragland says. "I think he might been more moved than I was over the whole ordeal."
Steve Has Returned to the World of Blue's Clues
Burns has really embraced his role as Steve in recent years. Last year, Burns appeared in a viral video addressing Blue's Clues fans. He explained his sudden exit from the series while reminding his fans that he never forgot about them. He has also been reprising the role of Steve for Blue's Clues & You!, a reboot series featuring Josh Dela Cruz as the new host. Burns also appeared with Cruz and fellow Blue's Clues host Donovan Patton for the recent film Blue's Big City Adventure.
You can watch classic episodes of Blue's Clues, along with the new episodes of Blue's Clues & You! and Blue's Big City Adventure, on Paramount+.