Is SpongeBob SquarePants gay? Here's what character creator Stephen Hillenburg had to say | MEAWW

Contents:

• NICKELOON JT ANNOUNCED THAT SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS IS GAY
• SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS IS GAY! NICKELOON (FALLY) CONFIRMS HIS LGBTQ STAT FOR PRI
• IS SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS GAY? EVERY TIME THE SHOW SUGGTED HE IS
• NICKELOON PRI TWEET HTS SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS IS GAY
• NICKELOON CELEBRAT PRI BY HTG AT SPONGEBOB’S SEXUALYTHE WORK HAS NOT NFIRMED THE BELOVED CHARACTER'S SEXUALY—BUT A NEW SOCIAL MEDIA POST SEEMS TO VALIDATE A LONG-HELD FAN BELIEF.BY CHRISTOPHER ROSENJUNE 15, 2020PHOTO BY PARAMOUNT/KOBAL/SHUTTERSTOCKSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEIS SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS GAY? THAT’S A QUTN MANY FANS HAVE ASKED SCE THE NICKELOON SERI THAT BEARS HIS NAME FIRST PREMIERED 1999. OVER THE WEEKEND, APPEARS, VIEWERS MAY HAVE FALLY RECEIVED AN ANSWER.ON SATURDAY, THE WORK’S OFFICIAL TWTER ACUNT CLUD SPONGEBOB A TWEET ABOUT “CELEBRATG #PRI WH THE LGBTQ+ MUNY AND THEIR ALLI THIS MONTH AND EVERY MONTH.” AN IMAGE OF SPONGEBOB APPEARED ALONGSI IMAG OF TWO PROMENT LGBTQIA CHARACTERS OM THE NICKELOON LIBRARY OF SHOWS: SCHWOZ SCHWARTZ OM HENRY DANGER (PLAYED BY ACTOR MICHAEL D. COHEN, WHO IS TRANS), AND KORRA OM THE LEGEND OF KORRA, WHO IS BISEXUAL.TWTER NTENTTHIS NTENT N ALSO BE VIEWED ON THE SE ORIGAT OM.IN RPONSE TO THE POST, #SPONGEBOBISGAY BEGAN TRENDG ON TWTER AS MANY FANS CELEBRATED WHAT THEY FELT WAS A NFIRMATN OF A LONG-HELD BELIEF.NOT THAT NICKELOON HAS MA A POT OF STATG SPONGEBOB’S SEXUALY MORE OVERTLY. THE WORK HAS, TH FAR, CLED TO MAKE EXPLIC THE MEANG BEHD THE SOCIAL MEDIA MSAGE—WHICH SHOULD NOT BE A TOTAL SURPRISE. IN RECENT YEARS, HAS BEE CREASGLY MON FOR THE MAKERS OF FILMS AND TELEVISN SERI TO PAY LIP SERVICE TO THE IA OF LONG-OVERDUE REPRENTATN KEY ANCHIS, WHOUT NECSARILY GOG BEYOND ACKNOWLEDGG THE EXISTENCE OF QUEER CHARACTERS. IN 2017, FOR STANCE, DISNEY DREW ATTENTN WHEN DIRECTOR BILL CONDON REVEALED THAT HIS LIVE-ACTN BETY AND THE BEAST REBOOT WOULD NTA AN “EXCLIVELY GAY” MOMENT BETWEEN TWO CHARACTERS—WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE A BLK-AND-YOU’LL-MISS- DANCE BETWEEN TWO MALE CHARACTERS AT THE FILM’S NCLN. IN YEARS SCE, TWO MORE DISNEY RELEAS—AVENGERS: ENDGAME AND STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER—HAVE CLUD GAY CHARACTERS VERY LIMED ROL AS WELL.AS VANY FAIR CRIC K. AT COLLS WROTE OF THE TREND, “THE IA THAT THE LGHABLY MOR WS ARE SOMETHG TO CELEBRATE GO HAND HAND WH DISNEY’S BROAR ATTU TOWARD FILM HISTORY, WHICH THE PANY HAS LONG SEEMED TO THK IS SOMETHG BETTER OFF LOCKED UP A VLT SOMEWHERE—THE BETTER TO EXPLO THE ART’S VALUE, AFTER ALL. LET’S JT SAY STRAIGHT: THE PANY THAT WON’T EVEN LET BABY YODA MEM FLOURISH WHOUT LOSG S SH OVER PYRIGHT WILL NEVER BE A BEAN OF REPRENTATN OF ANY SORT, LET ALONE QUEER REPRENTATN, WHICH, AMONG OTHER THGS, HAS OFTEN MA SPORT OF APPROPRIATG AND MSY-G THE FIRM SEXUAL BOUNDARI OSTENSIBLY STRAIGHT, PYRIGHTED ART. DISNEY IS TOO NCERNED WH REPRENTATN AS PRODUCT TO BE A BEAN OF ANYTHG. AND THE FANS WHO RE WILL STILL, EVEN AS OF THE TWO MOVI, LARGELY BE LEFT TO THEIR OWN CREATIVE, IMAGATIVE VIC—AND THEY ARE PROBABLY BETTER OFF.”MOST POPULARVANY FAIR’S “IT’S RAG TEENS” COVER AT 20: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?BY SAVANNAH WALSHRED, WHE & ROYAL BLUE MAY BE “THE MOST EXPENSIVE B OF FAN FICTN EVER”BY SAVANNAH WALSHTHE CAST OF OPPENHEIMER AND THE REAL PEOPLE THEY PLAYBY HILLARY BISAS FOR SPONGEBOB HIMSELF: WHEN HIS RELATNSHIP WH PATRICK STAR, AN ANIMATED STARFISH ON THE SHOW, WAS CRICIZED BY CHRISTIAN GROUPS 2005, CREATOR STEPHEN HILLENBURG CLAIMED SPONGEBOB WAS TEND TO BE ASEXUAL.“IT DON’T HAVE ANYTHG TO DO WH WHAT WE’RE TRYG TO DO,” HILLENBURG, WHO DIED 2018, SAID AT THE TIME. “WE NEVER TEND THEM TO BE GAY. I NSIR THEM TO BE ALMOST ASEXUAL. WE’RE JT TRYG TO BE FUNNY AND THIS HAS GOT NOTHG TO DO WH THE SHOW.”MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR— “CAN WE LIVE?” THE DGHTER OF CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS ON THE QUTN THAT’S HNTED HER FOR DES— CATHERE O’HARA, QUEEN OF SCHT’S CREEK, TALKS GILDA RADNER FRIENDSHIP & MORE— EXCLIVE: STEPHEN KG’S THE STAND COM TO LIFE AGA— JEFEY EPSTE: SEVEN REMAG MYSTERI—AND DISTURBG REVELATNS— OLD HOLLYWOOD’S MOST SNDALO SECRETS, AS TOLD BY DAVID NIVEN— TREVOR NOAH AND THE DAILY SHOW AREN’T JT SURVIVG—THEY’RE THRIVG— FROM THE ARCHIVE: SIDNEY POIER’S POTED MSAGE TO WHE AMERI AS RACE RTS SWEPT THE NATN THE SUMMER OF 1967LOOKG FOR MORE? SIGN UP FOR OUR DAILY HOLLYWOOD NEWSLETTER AND NEVER MISS A STORY.CHRISTOPHER ROSEN
• SO... IS SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS GAY?
• NICKELOON MAY HAVE JT CONFIRMED WHAT WE KNEW ALL ALONG: SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS IS GAY
• THE NATURE OF SPONGEBOB’S GAYNS
• IS SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS GAY? HERE'S WHAT CHARACTER CREATOR STEPHEN HILLENBURG HAD TO SAY

NICKELOON JT ANNOUNCED THAT SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS IS GAY

) Patrick both wh limp wrists, forhadowg this revelatn by reprentatn children's media remas srce, largely due to phback om studs and parents who equate visible gay, lbian, bisexual or trans characters wh the "sexualizatn" of children. Jt last month, Pixar released a short film on Disney+ featurg a gay protagonist; Out followed his journey to e out to his parents and troduce them to his boyiend. And later this year, Marvel Studs will but the first openly gay superhero the MCU — and his hband.

#SpongeBobIsGay started trendg as many cid the tweet was nfirmatn of the character’s sexualy.

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS IS GAY! NICKELOON (FALLY) CONFIRMS HIS LGBTQ STAT FOR PRI

Due part to his close relatnship wh bt iend Patrick Star, the ter had long ago cid that SpongeBob was ed gay. “We never tend them to be gay.

IS SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS GAY? EVERY TIME THE SHOW SUGGTED HE IS

Given the fandom’s long-held belief that SpongeBob intified as gay, ’s the least Nickeloon uld do for this beloved kids show, and social media reactns did not disappot.

Fans quickly reacted sharg stills om the show and celebratg SpongeBob’s om SheKnowsGrey's Anatomy Fan-Favore Chyler Leigh Com Out Heartfelt LetterCoolhs Founr Natasha Case Spills Her Kid-Snack Hack & It Involv Eel, Not Ice CreamThe Trans Moms Hate Mother's Day -- Here's WhyNot surprised about #SpongebobIsGay sce has always kda jt been the way I have seen SB, but that do not stop me om beg DELIRIOUSLY happy about SB reprentg lgbtq+ culture ❤️?️‍?— ℍ???? ???? (@EmmaHso) June 14, 2020Other fans of the show have taken issue wh this, however, potg out that SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg had intified the character as asexual years ago. Further, sce SpongeBob is not explicly lled gay, fans are left wonrg whether the tweet was fact a misguid alln to his asexualy, which is not referenced the LGBTQ Nickeloon would undoubtedly have ma a stronger statement by, well, makg an actual statement, this is still a big step forward for reprentatn kids’ TV, which has long led LGBTQ characters and relatnships too “adult” for s ntent, spe their fort cludg adult heterosexual relatnships.

5% feel unsafe at kids had jt as many beloved gay rtoon characters as those they assume to be straight, how many LGBTQ kids might feel better accepted and unrstood? The artwork by Ramzy Masri, which showed all three characters cloaked rabows, had the ter speculatg — and var forms of “SpongeBob is gay” was already nfirmed by the “Legend of Korra” creators to have end the seri a relatnship wh female iend Asami. Is SpongeBob gay?

NICKELOON PRI TWEET HTS SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS IS GAY

After all, this isn’t the first time fans have speculated about SpongeBob, the square-panted hero who me up wh a rabowger:Nickeloon outright nied SpongeBob was gay 2002. ”Hillenburg doubled down on those ments to Rters 2005, sayg: “We never tend them to be gay.

”Unls Nickeloon is gog back on seri creator Hillenburg’s statements, SpongeBob isn’t gay. While Nickeloon’s post had some perhaps erroneoly spreadg the word that SpongeBob was “nfirmed” to be gay, others were celebratg him as the asexual in he already is:You May Like. Nickeloon revealed SpongeBob SquarePants is an LGBTQ+ ally, but do that mean he's gay?

NICKELOON CELEBRAT PRI BY HTG AT SPONGEBOB’S SEXUALYTHE WORK HAS NOT NFIRMED THE BELOVED CHARACTER'S SEXUALY—BUT A NEW SOCIAL MEDIA POST SEEMS TO VALIDATE A LONG-HELD FAN BELIEF.BY CHRISTOPHER ROSENJUNE 15, 2020PHOTO BY PARAMOUNT/KOBAL/SHUTTERSTOCKSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEIS SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS GAY? THAT’S A QUTN MANY FANS HAVE ASKED SCE THE NICKELOON SERI THAT BEARS HIS NAME FIRST PREMIERED 1999. OVER THE WEEKEND, APPEARS, VIEWERS MAY HAVE FALLY RECEIVED AN ANSWER.ON SATURDAY, THE WORK’S OFFICIAL TWTER ACUNT CLUD SPONGEBOB A TWEET ABOUT “CELEBRATG #PRI WH THE LGBTQ+ MUNY AND THEIR ALLI THIS MONTH AND EVERY MONTH.” AN IMAGE OF SPONGEBOB APPEARED ALONGSI IMAG OF TWO PROMENT LGBTQIA CHARACTERS OM THE NICKELOON LIBRARY OF SHOWS: SCHWOZ SCHWARTZ OM HENRY DANGER (PLAYED BY ACTOR MICHAEL D. COHEN, WHO IS TRANS), AND KORRA OM THE LEGEND OF KORRA, WHO IS BISEXUAL.TWTER NTENTTHIS NTENT N ALSO BE VIEWED ON THE SE ORIGAT OM.IN RPONSE TO THE POST, #SPONGEBOBISGAY BEGAN TRENDG ON TWTER AS MANY FANS CELEBRATED WHAT THEY FELT WAS A NFIRMATN OF A LONG-HELD BELIEF.NOT THAT NICKELOON HAS MA A POT OF STATG SPONGEBOB’S SEXUALY MORE OVERTLY. THE WORK HAS, TH FAR, CLED TO MAKE EXPLIC THE MEANG BEHD THE SOCIAL MEDIA MSAGE—WHICH SHOULD NOT BE A TOTAL SURPRISE. IN RECENT YEARS, HAS BEE CREASGLY MON FOR THE MAKERS OF FILMS AND TELEVISN SERI TO PAY LIP SERVICE TO THE IA OF LONG-OVERDUE REPRENTATN KEY ANCHIS, WHOUT NECSARILY GOG BEYOND ACKNOWLEDGG THE EXISTENCE OF QUEER CHARACTERS. IN 2017, FOR STANCE, DISNEY DREW ATTENTN WHEN DIRECTOR BILL CONDON REVEALED THAT HIS LIVE-ACTN BETY AND THE BEAST REBOOT WOULD NTA AN “EXCLIVELY GAY” MOMENT BETWEEN TWO CHARACTERS—WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE A BLK-AND-YOU’LL-MISS- DANCE BETWEEN TWO MALE CHARACTERS AT THE FILM’S NCLN. IN YEARS SCE, TWO MORE DISNEY RELEAS—AVENGERS: ENDGAME AND STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER—HAVE CLUD GAY CHARACTERS VERY LIMED ROL AS WELL.AS VANY FAIR CRIC K. AT COLLS WROTE OF THE TREND, “THE IA THAT THE LGHABLY MOR WS ARE SOMETHG TO CELEBRATE GO HAND HAND WH DISNEY’S BROAR ATTU TOWARD FILM HISTORY, WHICH THE PANY HAS LONG SEEMED TO THK IS SOMETHG BETTER OFF LOCKED UP A VLT SOMEWHERE—THE BETTER TO EXPLO THE ART’S VALUE, AFTER ALL. LET’S JT SAY STRAIGHT: THE PANY THAT WON’T EVEN LET BABY YODA MEM FLOURISH WHOUT LOSG S SH OVER PYRIGHT WILL NEVER BE A BEAN OF REPRENTATN OF ANY SORT, LET ALONE QUEER REPRENTATN, WHICH, AMONG OTHER THGS, HAS OFTEN MA SPORT OF APPROPRIATG AND MSY-G THE FIRM SEXUAL BOUNDARI OSTENSIBLY STRAIGHT, PYRIGHTED ART. DISNEY IS TOO NCERNED WH REPRENTATN AS PRODUCT TO BE A BEAN OF ANYTHG. AND THE FANS WHO RE WILL STILL, EVEN AS OF THE TWO MOVI, LARGELY BE LEFT TO THEIR OWN CREATIVE, IMAGATIVE VIC—AND THEY ARE PROBABLY BETTER OFF.”MOST POPULARVANY FAIR’S “IT’S RAG TEENS” COVER AT 20: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?BY SAVANNAH WALSHRED, WHE & ROYAL BLUE MAY BE “THE MOST EXPENSIVE B OF FAN FICTN EVER”BY SAVANNAH WALSHTHE CAST OF OPPENHEIMER AND THE REAL PEOPLE THEY PLAYBY HILLARY BISAS FOR SPONGEBOB HIMSELF: WHEN HIS RELATNSHIP WH PATRICK STAR, AN ANIMATED STARFISH ON THE SHOW, WAS CRICIZED BY CHRISTIAN GROUPS 2005, CREATOR STEPHEN HILLENBURG CLAIMED SPONGEBOB WAS TEND TO BE ASEXUAL.“IT DON’T HAVE ANYTHG TO DO WH WHAT WE’RE TRYG TO DO,” HILLENBURG, WHO DIED 2018, SAID AT THE TIME. “WE NEVER TEND THEM TO BE GAY. I NSIR THEM TO BE ALMOST ASEXUAL. WE’RE JT TRYG TO BE FUNNY AND THIS HAS GOT NOTHG TO DO WH THE SHOW.”MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR— “CAN WE LIVE?” THE DGHTER OF CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS ON THE QUTN THAT’S HNTED HER FOR DES— CATHERE O’HARA, QUEEN OF SCHT’S CREEK, TALKS GILDA RADNER FRIENDSHIP & MORE— EXCLIVE: STEPHEN KG’S THE STAND COM TO LIFE AGA— JEFEY EPSTE: SEVEN REMAG MYSTERI—AND DISTURBG REVELATNS— OLD HOLLYWOOD’S MOST SNDALO SECRETS, AS TOLD BY DAVID NIVEN— TREVOR NOAH AND THE DAILY SHOW AREN’T JT SURVIVG—THEY’RE THRIVG— FROM THE ARCHIVE: SIDNEY POIER’S POTED MSAGE TO WHE AMERI AS RACE RTS SWEPT THE NATN THE SUMMER OF 1967LOOKG FOR MORE? SIGN UP FOR OUR DAILY HOLLYWOOD NEWSLETTER AND NEVER MISS A STORY.CHRISTOPHER ROSEN

Qutns about whether SpongeBob is gay or not have been floatg around for years as the show has dropped some hts about , even though seri’ creator Stephen Hillenburg spoke about years ago.

SO... IS SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS GAY?

The biggt one is that of SpongeBob’s sexualy, wh many groups accg the show of promotg homosexualy and gay marriage. People sisted the episo promoted gay marriage, but as sea spong aren’t eher female or male (and Hillenburg was a mare science tor), playg the role of mother was normal for SpongeBob. Of urse, the ntroversy didn’t end there, and many groups began to over-analyze the show to fd clu that proved that SpongeBob was gay and the show was a bad example for children.

To some, however, SpongeBob’s overly cheerful personaly and sensivy are enough proof that the character is actually gay. While many have taken Nickeloon’s tweet as nfirmatn that SpongeBob is gay, ’s important to remember that Hillenburg once clarified that he nsired the character to be “somewhat asexual”, very much like real-life sea spong.

The GAY moments of SpongeBob - vio Dailymotn. Soon the phrase “Spongebob Gay” was trendg on the se as people eher cheered the cisn, bated , or offered supposed evince gathered over the years of the character’s sexual orientatn long theorized by fans.

NICKELOON MAY HAVE JT CONFIRMED WHAT WE KNEW ALL ALONG: SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS IS GAY

Others on the social media se poted out that back 2005, after some nservative groups said the sponge’s relatnship wh his starfish bt iend, Patrick, was promotg homosexualy, the show’s creator Stephen Hillenburg stated that Spongebob was, fact, asexual. “We never tend them to be gay, ” Hillenburg said of SpongeBob and Patrick 2005.

Absorbent and yellow and poro is he… and gay? Fans of the ntil rtoon, which began airg 1999, have long-spected Spongebob to be gay.

THE NATURE OF SPONGEBOB’S GAYNS

“Announcg Spongebob beg gay then turng ments off e a’t no bate, ” tweeted @Drebae_, notg how the work turned off the abily to reply to their tweet.

“Spongebob gay? However, creator Stephen Hillenburg, who died om ALS 2018, had mataed that SpongeBob was a member of the LGBTQ+ muny by beg asexual, not gay.

IS SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS GAY? HERE'S WHAT CHARACTER CREATOR STEPHEN HILLENBURG HAD TO SAY

While Nickeloon did not explicly say whether SpongeBob was gay, people onle assumed his cln wh other inic queer ins meant that he was part of the LGBTQ+ muny too. Back 2005, Stephen Hillenburg, the late creator of SpongeBob SquarePants, shared that SpongeBob was neher straight nor gay when nservative Christian activist groups cricised the character for “promotg homosexualy” the diversy and tolerance-foced mic vio remake of Sister Sledge’s ‘We Are Fay’. In rponse, Hillenburg nied the claims and said: “We never tend [the characters] to be gay.

But the sheer excement over the slightt possibily that SpongeBob uld be gay rulted “SPONGEBOB GAY” trendg right after the the ial announcement was ma. I love that 's not even "spongebob IS gay" everyone went so feral so quick that 's jt SPONGEBOB GAY.