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Los Angeles Times
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Elmo said what? Sesame Workshop pins ‘disgusting' racist, obscene tweets on hacker
It seems Elmo's world recently included vitriolic racist, antisemitic and foul-mouthed social media posts. 'Sesame Street's' perpetually 3½-year-old mascot caught his social media fans off guard over the weekend as he seemingly traded his wholesome tweets on X (formerly Twitter) in for hateful posts, including calling for violence against the Jewish community and others using lewd language to demand that President Trump release Jeffrey Epstein's 'client list,' alleging he was involved in the late financier's sex trafficking operation. The obscenity-laden posts shared Sunday went viral, with screenshots also making the rounds. As of Monday morning, the posts have been scrubbed from Elmo's page. A spokesperson for Sesame Workshop, the organization behind 'Sesame Street' and Elmo, told the Associated Press in a statement, 'Elmo's X account was compromised by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages including antisemitic and racist posts.' 'We are working to restore full control of the account,' the spokesperson added. A representative for X did not immediately confirm the alleged hack or provide additional information to The Times on Monday. In addition to the problematic tweets, the alleged hacker left a mysterious link on the beloved puppet's page. The link, which has since been removed, redirected followers and internet sleuths to a user's Telegram channel. On Telegram, the user appears to take credit for the hack. 'Thanks Elmo,' reads one Telegram message shared Sunday, the same day Elmo's odd posts hit the timeline. In another Telegram message, the user praises Adolf Hitler and rapper Ye (formerly Kanye West), who has his own handful of controversies involving antisemitism and hateful comments. The since-deleted tweets presented a very dramatic tone shift in the red furball's online presence. Elmo, whose X activity mostly consists of photos with friends and wholesome greetings, notably broke the internet last year with an innocuous post: 'Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?' The tweet, which is pinned to the top of Elmo's profile, prompted some brutal honesty from a range of followers. 'Resisting the urge to tell Elmo that I am kinda sad,' replied 'West Side Story' star Rachel Zegler. Fielding online confessions of existential dread and general anxiety, Elmo responded to fans that he 'learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing.' He added: 'Elmo will check in again soon, friends! Elmo loves you.' In the wake of the viral tweet, Sesame Workshop also offered fans and followers a mental health resource guide on its website, reminding users on X that 'Mental health is health!' Clearly, the alleged hacker didn't get the memo on Elmo's longstanding agenda of kindness and compassion. Former Times staff writer Nardine Saad contributed to this report.
Los Angeles Times
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Watch: ‘Sesame Street' stars Oscar the Grouch, Bert and Grover give L.A. ‘a big hug'
Los Angeles has been going through a tough time, but in the words of a few friends from 'Sesame Street,' we can get through this together. Last week, some of the characters from the venerated children's television show — Oscar the Grouch, Bert and Grover — stopped by the Los Angeles Times to chat with Nicholas Ducassi, the host of 'Very Important Questions.' While we anticipated (and enjoyed) a light-hearted, fun conversation with these childhood favorites, it was also reminder of how important it is talk about 'big feelings' and to support one another, particular when we're going through a hard time. Emotional well-being is, after all, the emphasis of the latest season of 'Sesame Street,' which kicked off in January. After last month's devastating wildfires, the city and many of its residents are now trying to process the heartache of having lost so much while trying to figure out what's next and how to rebuild. But where there's heartache, there also hope and optimism — something that 'Sesame Street' reminds us of on a regular basis. 'I cannot give you all a hug right now, even though I want to,' Grover said. 'So I'm going to ask Nick here to stand in for all of L.A. and I'm going to give L.A. a big hug. I love you L.A. You are going to be OK. Remember that you are strong and super and you can do hard things. Yes, you can.' Yes, we can. 'You've gotta be there for your neighbors, your friends and community,' Bert said. 'I mean, we may lose our paper clips and bottle caps, but we always have each other.' We always have each other. It's a reminder to all of us that our family and friends — even the furry ones — can help us move forward. Together. 'Sesame Street's' garbage-can dwelling green monster tells us about his favorite piece of trash and how to put on your best grouchy face. In this segment, Bert tells us why his unibrow is sophisticated (and practical), how he handles big feelings and the best way to get through a tough time. Grover tells us some tips on being a waiter ('Do not work at a restaurant with talking fruits and vegetables.'), how he asks for help and why he's Super Grover's biggest fan.
