Regardless of what the creator said 15 years earlier, #SpongebobIsGay began to trend on Twitter, as many took the image as confirmation of what they suspected. Whatever the case, it is probably safest to hold onto Hillenburg's words about the character's asexuality. But that could also simply be a misinterpretation of two loving, long-term friendships and an affectionate disposition on SpongeBob's part. One could definitely make a case for SpongeBob having romantic feelings toward Squidward or his best friend Patrick.
However, being asexual does not necessarily mean being aromantic.
