Nickelodeon Reveals SpongeBob SquarePants Is Gay
Fans of SpongeBob SquarePants have been speculating about it for years, but Nickelodeon never confirmed it. Now, though, in honor of Pride Month, the children's network revealed that SpongeBob is gay. Nickelodeon sent out a tweet Saturday celebrating Pride Month, and in it, the company revealed that SpongeBob and a few other characters on its network are part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Here's the tweet from Nickelodeon:
"Celebrating #Pride with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month," the network wrote, along with a rainbow emoji. In addition to SpongeBob, the tweet featured Schwoz Schwartz from Henry Danger and Korra from Legend of Korra, which is a spin-off show of Avatar -- all against a rainbow-hued backdrop.
As TMZ pointed out, fans have speculated that Korra was gay or bisexual for a while.
In fact, Nickelodeon essentially wrote it into the script. Although Korra didn't outright talk about her sexuality in the show, there's a scene in which she's speaking with another character, Asami, and it seems fairly apparent that the two have feelings for one another. At the end of the show, they walk off holding hands, before lovingly looking in each other's eyes.
Michael D. Cohen, who plays Schwoz on 'Henry Danger,' revealed in 2019 he was transgender.
Speaking to Time last year, Cohen revealed that he transitioned in 2000. "I was misgendered at birth,” he said during the interview. "I identify as male, and I am proud that I have had a transgender experience -- a transgender journey."
"In my experience, I was born male. What my body said about it was irrelevant," he added. "No matter how hard I tried, it was not up for negotiation. Believe me, it would have been so convenient if I was actually a woman."
But back to SpongeBob ... again, this isn't a shock to many fans.
As one SpongeBob fan pointed out, he had a baby with Patrick at one point, which furthered the speculation.
However, it's worth noting that in 2005 the show's creator, Stephen Hillenburg, said he thought of SpongeBob and Patrick as asexual. "We never intended them to be gay," he said. "I consider them to be almost asexual. We’re just trying to be funny and this has got nothing to do with the show."
Gay, straight, bi, asexual -- no matter the orientation, SpongeBob is always great.
In addition to bringing laughs to kids for years, SpongeBob has also experienced a delightful second act as one of the internet's most popular memes and GIFs.
Nickelodeon has turned off replies to the tweet, so thankfully, no one will have to be subject to anything obnoxious or negative from people who aren't happy.
Happy Pride Month, SpongeBob!