# Are Bert & Ernie gay? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 10, 2003, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727 "2003-09-10T12:25:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Trob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Trob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trob)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727/1 "2003-09-10T12:25:52Z")
I know what you are thinking but no I am not trolling. I was told that Bert & Ernie were out and were being used to teach tolerance for gays. Is this true or is someone messing with me? Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727/2 "2003-09-10T12:33:07Z")
Someone’s messing with you. ---
**Author:** ![T0Mmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@T0Mmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T0Mmy)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727/3 "2003-09-10T12:33:14Z")
Bert & Ernie are not gay. Bert is evil and Ernie is his bitch, but they are not gay. There are various sites depicting the evilness of Bert, but I can’t remember what they’re called ---
**Author:** ![silverfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@silverfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silverfish)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727/4 "2003-09-10T12:38:07Z")
Snopes don’t deal with this question specifically, but answer to a question about whether Bert and Ernie are going to get married including in the [answer](http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/gaymupp.htm), that they aren’t homosexual. So if you think Snopes are reliable, and personally I do, they aren’t gay, it’s just an urban legend. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727/5 "2003-09-10T12:40:44Z")
For God’s sake, they’re Muppets. In a children’s show. They are neither gay nor straight nor bi nor transgendered. They aren’t sexual beings at all. Do we have to turn everything into a friggin’ sexual orientation debate now? ---
**Author:** ![Trob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Trob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trob)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727/6 "2003-09-10T12:44:13Z")
I know they are muppets and it is a childrens show. I thought it was B S but I wanted to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727/7 "2003-09-10T12:50:10Z")
I don’t know what specifically would suggest they are gay- they seem like roomates who are friends. I mean, if I moved in with my best friend, that would not make me automatically gay. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727/8 "2003-09-10T13:02:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RickJay \* > \*\*For God’s sake, they’re Muppets. In a children’s show. They are neither gay nor straight nor bi nor transgendered. They aren’t sexual beings at all. Do we have to turn everything into a friggin’ sexual orientation debate now? \*\* And Smithers, Lenny and Carl are just characters on a kids cartoon show, too. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727/9 "2003-09-10T13:32:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Desmostylus \* > And Smithers, Lenny and Carl are just characters on a kids cartoon show, too. Not at all. The Simpsons is a cartoon for adults. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727/10 "2003-09-10T13:34:22Z")
The Simpsons is not aimed at kids. Certainly not like Sesame Street is. Bert may be gay, but Ernie is definitely straight. They’re the See-Threepio and Artoo-Deetoo of “The Street”. ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727/11 "2003-09-10T14:10:05Z")
Hmmm, does sexual orientation apply to characters who don’t even exist below the waist? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727/12 "2003-09-10T15:03:08Z")
Well, something’s going on between Kermit the Frog and Ms. Piggy. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727/13 "2003-09-10T15:35:31Z")
Are Oscar Madison and Felix Unger of _The Odd Couple_ gay? Bert and Ernie are just puppet versions of Oscar and Felix. They aren’t gay. But if you want them to be, they are. It’s all how you look at it. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727/14 "2003-09-10T15:43:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Incubus \* > \*\*I don’t know what specifically would suggest they are gay- they seem like roomates who are friends. I mean, if I moved in with my best friend, that would not make me automatically gay. \*\* They sleep in the same bed, don’t they? (or they used to when I was a kid). Not that I would find that conclusive - I think it is more likely a throwback to the tradiiton of acts like Laurel & Hardy, who did the same (on screen). ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727/15 "2003-09-10T15:52:43Z")
> [@](#): > > _Orginally posted by mobo85_ > Are Oscar Madison and Felix Unger of The Odd Couple gay? Are you kidding? Of course, they were gay. Just look at how neat Felix was… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727/16 "2003-09-10T15:57:29Z")
According to Snopes, [No.](http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/gaymupp.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727/17 "2003-09-10T15:59:04Z")
Bert and Ernie do not sleep in the same bed. They have twin beds. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727/18 "2003-09-10T16:06:21Z")
That may be the case nowadays, but I definitely remember them sleeping in the same bed some years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Ivar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ivar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ivar)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727/19 "2003-09-10T16:08:13Z")
[http://www.bertisevil.tv/](http://www.bertisevil.tv/) ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727/20 "2003-09-10T16:11:00Z")
I always kinda assumed that Bert and Ernie were brothers, with Bert as the serious older brother and Ernie as the goofy kid brother. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bert-ernie-gay/200727.md?page=2)