Burns's departure caused a resurface of the rumors that had circulated about him since 1998. Burns replied, "The rumor mill surrounding me has always been really strange." Some of these "specious claims" included: death from a heroin overdose, being killed in a car accident, and, like what was rumored to have happened to Paul McCartney in 1966, him having been replaced with a look-alike. After Burns' departure, the "Blue's Clues" actor was then replaced by Donovan Patton as Steve's younger brother "Joe". Burns made an appearance on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" to dispute these rumors, and he and co-creator Angela Santomero appeared on "The Today Show" to help concerned parents extinguish the fears of kids who may have heard these rumors.