Writer Mark Saltzman said his own relationship with a man
inevitably inspired the iconic duo's relationship.
Mark Saltzman, a writer who joined the show in 1984, outed Bert
and Ernie in an interview with Queerty. "I always felt that
without a huge agenda, when I was writing Bert and Ernie, they
were [gay]," he said.
https://patch.com/california/missionviejo/s/gijex/bert-ernie-are-
just-friends-sesame-workshop