Elmo ‘Laid Off’ By Donald Trump In Viral Video Reply To Proposed PBS Budget Cuts
Elmo — the monster that’s called Sesame Street home for more than 30 years — learns his fate in a viral new video that responds to budget cuts proposed by President Donald Trump that would eliminate funding to PBS.
In the video that has garnered more than 11 million views on its Facebook page, What’s Trending posted a video that is bitterly honest in regards to the current political climate facing PBS and Elmo — one of several beloved characters on Sesame Street. In the video Elmo is incredulous while receiving the news, saying he hasn’t been unemployed “since the 80’s.”
Elmo also asked the authoritarian figure about other monsters from Sesame Street and their fate. The individual answering Elmo admits that those monsters were let go, too. In his final move, Elmo asks if he can get a letter of recommendation from the unseen figure. The individual complies, giving Elmo the letter ‘F’ as his recommendation letter.
The Washington Post pointed out a potential reason President Donald Trump could have PBS — and Sesame Street in particular — in his cross hairs: a lack of preferential treatment. When the parodied version of Donald Trump visits Sesame Street, the billionaire is often portrayed as a villainous grouch known as “Donald Grump.”
“There are only three known episodes in which the character “Grump” appears, each time playing the villain in a moral allegory. Whenever Grump visits Sesame Street, chaos is not far behind.”
The article detailed the three separate episodes of Sesame Street where Elmo and his friends were paid a visit by the character. In his most recent appearance during a 2005 episode, Elmo also was cut by the Donald Trump grouch-like figure after not making during a competition in which he appeared to win the contest.
After The Washington Post article ran, PBS reached out to the media outlet to discuss the article. Calling their show “politically agnostic,” Lizzie Fishman said the show does not plan to have the Donald Trump parodied character back on Sesame Street anytime in the future despite proposed budget cuts.
“It’s been over ten years since we featured the Donald Grump character and we have no plans to bring him back. As you know, our content has always been politically agnostic. We’ve parodied many pop culture icons and television shows such as Game of Thrones, Law & Order, and The Voice, as well a range of news organizations including CNN and Fox News, and newsmen Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, and Bill O’Reilly.”
The Daily Dot pointed out that Elmo wasn’t the only Sesame Street character to be fired by President Donald Trump. The article pointed out in addition to Elmo, Big Bird has also “faced” an elimination from President Donald Trump — then on the show The Apprentice — in a parodied clip from Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWebDbGtQI4
What’s Trending used the video as a plea to help PBS retain its funding and possibly add more to its coffers from its readers. In their call to action message, the media outlet told its readers how to prevent Elmo from losing his voice due to budget cuts from President Donald Trump.
“In the end, we see a sight that we would never want to see — Elmo sans his voice! Truly tragic! But I have good news — you can stop this by supporting PBS! Just go to to PBS’s support hub and make a donation, or contact your local representative and ask them to keep PBS funded.”
The Inquisitr first reported that the funding for PBS could be eliminated in a future budget cut by President Donald Trump almost immediately after his inauguration. The story cited reports that the administration could cut the approximately $150 million appropriation as early as 2018.
What do you think about Elmo and his Sesame Street pals being on the chopping block in the proposed budget cuts to PBS by President Donald Trump? Follow the Inquisitr on Twitter (@IQShowbiz) to join in on the conversation.
[Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]
