Do you remember that episode when Spongebob and Patrick had a baby? The beloved sponge was fed up with the starfish not holding his weight around the house. But it looks like there was a hidden message within this episode.

Nickelodeon is celebrating Pride Month with some of its LBGTQ+ characters and actors, which included our favorite sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea.

The network tweeted a photo of Spongebob on June 13th with pride colors. The revelation immediately erupted into a full-blown discourse on Twitter and some folks declared him a “gay icon.” 

“Celebrating #Pride with the LBGTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month,” the official Nickelodeon account wrote. The tweet was assisted by graphics from artists Ramzy Masri. 

In an interview with People in 2005, Spongebob Creator Stephen Hillenburg once described the main character as asexual – which is still a part of the LGBTQ+ community. “We never intended them to be gay,” Hillenburg said of Spongebob and Patrick. “I consider them to be asexual.” Backing up Stephen’s comments fans are emphasizing that the asexual representation on TV needs to be more inclusive and needed in pop culture.