Considering the missing posts, it would appear that a mod has been through here. I wonder what I have missed.
It seems that people have had different experiences with Steve. Some positive, some negative. That is to be expected with anyone. I think there is no question that Steve was not happy to have to take on Kermit given the circumstances and that he saw it as an honor. I am also positive that he wishes Jim was around today.
Truth be told, Jim was really the only "performer" to get interviewed on talk shows. Jim was interviewed as the head of the Jim Henson Company, who also performed Kermit. There were also times when Kermit was the one booked on a show, and we didn't see Jim sitting next to him, like when Kermit and the Muppets hosted the Tonight Show. In some cases Jim would be there with another performer, but Jim was the main guest. So, I dont think that talk shows were asking Steve to be on their show, but did want Kermit on there and Steve probably made the choice to not be visible during the performance. He didn't really start it though. It has to do more with the fact that Jim was the head of the company and could speak on future plans and projects. Steve simply wasn't. That being said, Steve clearly had times when he would interview with Kermit by his side and Matt should not be criticized for it.
Regardless of what we do and don't know about Steve working behind the scenes, we do know that he was not part of Happy Time Murders, nor was he part of the Dark Crystal Series. To me, this means he has little to no relationship with the Jim Henson Company. The cause or motive behind this I can not speak to.