Former 'Sesame Street' writer says Bert and Ernie are a couple

A former "Sesame Street" writer has confirmed what fans have suspected for years - Bert and Ernie are a couple.

Mark Saltzman told LGBTQ lifestyle website Queerty that when writing Bert and Ernie, he always felt they were a gay couple.

He said they didn't have any other way to contextualize them, and that the sketches he wrote would reflect the dynamic in his own same-sex relationship.

"Sesame Street" has denied the claims.

The program says Bert and Ernie are best friends, and that as puppets, they don't have a sexual orientation.

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