Blue's Clues Officially Has A New Host: Meet Joshua Dela Cruz
The Wrap- Blue is back! Nickelodeon announced Thursday the title of the revived “Blue’s Clues,” as well as its new host. The 20-episode “Blue’s Clues & You” will be hosted by Broadway actor Joshua Dela Cruz, with production beginning this month in Toronto. “The search for the new host of ‘Blue’s Clues & You’ was no small task, but we knew as soon as we met Josh that he was production perfect choice,” said Shelly Sumpter Gillyard, Executive Vice President, Talent, Music and Events, Nickelodeon Group. “From his genuineness to his comedic timing and range, there was no doubt that he could carry the show on for the next generation of preschoolers.”
“From the moment we decided to make a new version of the series, we knew that so much of the energy and magic of the show comes from the host’s ability to bring preschoolers into the colorfully animated world of Blue and her friends,” added Cathy Galeota, Senior Vice President, Preschool Content, Nickelodeon Group. “Josh’s wonderful theater background and his natural charisma checked all the boxes for us, and of course Steve’s stamp of approval only solidified our decision.”
Wow! Huuuuuuuuuuge news. People like to say that hosting The Tonight Show is the most prestigious hosting job on television. Those people are wrong. They’re dead wrong. It’s Blue’s Clues and it’s not even close. How many people have hosted the Tonight Show? Like five? Well only one guy has hosted Blue’s Clues and his name is Steve Burns and he’s a national treasure. There is an entire generation that loves Steve because of his work on the show. It’s probably more than a generation. Steve is a cultural icon.
So it’s a big fucking deal to host Blue’s Clues. Not everybody can do it. You have to have the “it” factor. You have to have hosting chops. You have to be able to draw simply but eloquently. You have to be able to sing. You have to be able to educate. You have to be able to manage the egos in the room like the salt and pepper shakers. And most importantly, you have to have chemistry with Blue. No chemistry, no show. So this is a huge deal and a huge break in Dela Cruz’x career. It shows that Nickelodeon thinks he has all the tangibles and intangibles to carry this historic franchise into the future. Again, wow. Huge news.
The big question: Did Dela Cruz get Steve’s blessing? He sure did.
“I had the great honor of being a part of the search for the new host, and I give Josh two thumbs up! He can definitely fill my shoes, and the rugby shirt,” said original “Blue’s Clues” host Steve Burns.
Two thumbs up! You love to see that. I like that they included Steve in the search for a new host. He knows the ins and outs of the show better than anybody else. It’s would’ve been a real bullshit move for Nickelodeon to cut him outta the process like CBS cut David Letterman outta the process when they picked Stephen Colbert. It’s about respect and Steve deserves respect. Good on Nickelodeon. It’ll be exciting to see if Joshua Dela Cruz can live up to Steve’s legacy. BIG shoes to fill.