See, the thing is, Bert and Ernie are *in* Avenue Q. They've renamed themselves Rod and Nicky, and they're pretending Nicky is straight because the tragic unrequited love of Bert Rod for Ernie Nicky makes for a good storyline. But you can tell who they are by the voices, the faces, and the hints at Rod's true citizenship when he makes up a girlfriend named Alberta who lives in Canada to prevent himself from being outed at a friend's wedding.