The Bert and Ernie sexual orientation controversy stems from years of speculation regarding the relationship between the two iconic Sesame Street roommates. While fans have long head-canonized them as a gay couple, the debate reached a fever pitch in 2018 when writer Mark Saltzman stated he wrote them as a loving pair based on his own relationship. Sesame Workshop quickly issued a statement clarifying that they are puppets and have no sexual orientation, which sparked a massive wave of memes ranging from wholesome support to the darker Bertstrips humor. Today, the template is used to discuss forced platonic relationships, secret romances, or simply to poke fun at corporate PR statements.