Latest news with #altright
CNN
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Jon Stewart spoofs Elmo's X account getting hacked
We have seen Elmo of 'Sesame Street' in a variety of lights, but never as an alt-right supporter. After the beloved character's X account was hacked, Jon Stewart decided to have some fun with a look-alike puppet of Elmo on the 'The Daily Show' on Monday. The talk show host reminded the audience with a photo that he had worked with the famed muppet years ago and said he was 'shocked' by the tweets. Stewart, voicing the 'Elmo' puppet, claimed that he was hacked after someone 'guessed Elmo's password was Elmo! Elmo123. Elmo knows passwords should have more numbers, but Elmo only knows three numbers.' Stewart soon got the 'truth,' insisting Elmo needed to take responsibility for his actions. 'It was Elmo, but Elmo was radicalized by the manosphere. Elmo is part of the male loneliness epidemic,' Stewart as the puppet said. 'Elmo was doing his own research on flu shots. Six hours later, because of the algorithm, Elmo was moderating the QAnon Discord chat and building homemade bombs.' After Stewart reminded him of his influence on children, the muppet clapped back. 'Once again, the so-called tolerant left policing speech that's inconvenient to their woke dogma,' he said. 'Who's the real puppet now, Jon? You! You're the real puppet.' They then got to the heart of the matter after Stewart accused the character of sharing 'alt-right talking point word salad.' 'Elmo's alt-right,' the puppet said, joking he was pandering to save funding for public broadcasting and children's education programs. 'No reason to cancel Elmo's funding then.' President Donald Trump has encouraged Congress to revoke funding for PBS, the birthplace of 'Sesame Street,' accusing them of a liberal bias. 'Elmo can't go back on the streets, Jon! You have no idea what it's like,' Stewart said as the puppet. 'Elmo's too pretty to live under a bridge, Jon.'
CNN
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Jon Stewart spoofs Elmo's X account getting hacked
We have seen Elmo of 'Sesame Street' in a variety of lights, but never as an alt-right supporter. After the beloved character's X account was hacked, Jon Stewart decided to have some fun with a look-alike puppet of Elmo on the 'The Daily Show' on Monday. The talk show host reminded the audience with a photo that he had worked with the famed muppet years ago and said he was 'shocked' by the tweets. Stewart, voicing the 'Elmo' puppet, claimed that he was hacked after someone 'guessed Elmo's password was Elmo! Elmo123. Elmo knows passwords should have more numbers, but Elmo only knows three numbers.' Stewart soon got the 'truth,' insisting Elmo needed to take responsibility for his actions. 'It was Elmo, but Elmo was radicalized by the manosphere. Elmo is part of the male loneliness epidemic,' Stewart as the puppet said. 'Elmo was doing his own research on flu shots. Six hours later, because of the algorithm, Elmo was moderating the QAnon Discord chat and building homemade bombs.' After Stewart reminded him of his influence on children, the muppet clapped back. 'Once again, the so-called tolerant left policing speech that's inconvenient to their woke dogma,' he said. 'Who's the real puppet now, Jon? You! You're the real puppet.' They then got to the heart of the matter after Stewart accused the character of sharing 'alt-right talking point word salad.' 'Elmo's alt-right,' the puppet said, joking he was pandering to save funding for public broadcasting and children's education programs. 'No reason to cancel Elmo's funding then.' President Donald Trump has encouraged Congress to revoke funding for PBS, the birthplace of 'Sesame Street,' accusing them of a liberal bias. 'Elmo can't go back on the streets, Jon! You have no idea what it's like,' Stewart said as the puppet. 'Elmo's too pretty to live under a bridge, Jon.'
CNN
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Jon Stewart spoofs Elmo's X account getting hacked
We have seen Elmo of 'Sesame Street' in a variety of lights, but never as an alt-right supporter. After the beloved character's X account was hacked, Jon Stewart decided to have some fun with a look-alike puppet of Elmo on the 'The Daily Show' on Monday. The talk show host reminded the audience with a photo that he had worked with the famed muppet years ago and said he was 'shocked' by the tweets. Stewart, voicing the 'Elmo' puppet, claimed that he was hacked after someone 'guessed Elmo's password was Elmo! Elmo123. Elmo knows passwords should have more numbers, but Elmo only knows three numbers.' Stewart soon got the 'truth,' insisting Elmo needed to take responsibility for his actions. 'It was Elmo, but Elmo was radicalized by the manosphere. Elmo is part of the male loneliness epidemic,' Stewart as the puppet said. 'Elmo was doing his own research on flu shots. Six hours later, because of the algorithm, Elmo was moderating the QAnon Discord chat and building homemade bombs.' After Stewart reminded him of his influence on children, the muppet clapped back. 'Once again, the so-called tolerant left policing speech that's inconvenient to their woke dogma,' he said. 'Who's the real puppet now, Jon? You! You're the real puppet.' They then got to the heart of the matter after Stewart accused the character of sharing 'alt-right talking point word salad.' 'Elmo's alt-right,' the puppet said, joking he was pandering to save funding for public broadcasting and children's education programs. 'No reason to cancel Elmo's funding then.' President Donald Trump has encouraged Congress to revoke funding for PBS, the birthplace of 'Sesame Street,' accusing them of a liberal bias. 'Elmo can't go back on the streets, Jon! You have no idea what it's like,' Stewart said as the puppet. 'Elmo's too pretty to live under a bridge, Jon.'
Gizmodo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
The Right Wants to Claim Superman While Tearing Him Down
The release of Superman this weekend has naturally led to a culture war it's largely managed to avoid before now. But come it has, and the occurrence speaks to how much grifters refuse to engage with art on its actual terms, instead trying to twist it to their own ends. After Fox News and other prominent alt-right figures tried pretending the DC hero wasn't an immigrant earlier this week, the White House's Twittter posted a photoshopped poster of the film with President Donald Trump flying in the air, and the poster's text was tweaked in support of him. 'A Trump presidency: Truth, Justice, and the American Way,' it reads. THE SYMBOL OF HOPE. TRUTH. JUSTICE. THE AMERICAN WAY. SUPERMAN TRUMP. 🇺🇸 — The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 11, 2025That the White House is trying to embrace Superman isn't particularly surprising; it's the film's opening weekend, Superman is the mightiest hero in all of DC, and part of Trump's perceived appeal is how he speaks to the fantasy of a powerful, masculine man the right wing (and America at large) are constantly in search of. It's also not the first time this particular sect has tried to co-opt a specific fictional character or person, either for real or just a quick hit of virality. During the 2018 midterms, the first Trump administration used Game of Thrones memes to sway voters. Before the 2024 election, many musicians asked Trump to stop using their songs for his campaign and eventual win, even going so far as to take matters to court. And whether intended or not, it could be easy to read this as a direct, petty swipe at writer/director James Gunn, who's had no issue making his feelings on this particular president and white supremacy known through his works. And yet, this instance carries more significance due to factors such as parallels audiences have made between the film and the continued real-world attacks on Gaza—something Gunn recently claimed was an unintentional move—and coming straight from the White House's mouth. For as much as this administration and its defenders have complained about the 'woke' media plaguing the country, they can't find it in themselves to not be drawn to the very things that fall under that purview. To them, Superman is a godlike being who cuts a figure in the clouds with menacing laser eyes, the type of figure feared by his enemies and otherwise populated by acolytes. But DC fans have spent the past decade soured on portrayals like Man of Steel and the one-two video game punch of Injustice and Suicide Squad. Now, they want a version of the hero that radiates hope and optimism, which has since been gradually brought back to the character via Gunn's movie and Adult Swim's My Adventures with Superman. From those who've come out of the film and liked it, their big takeaway is how Gunn and Warner Bros. finally got him right again and charted a brighter path forward for the burgeoning DC movie universe. That momentum looks like it'll keep the film in discussion in the weeks and months ahead while likely leaving the White House's attempt to ride the current wave far behind in the dust. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
