It’s a somber day on Sesame Street—Elmo, the fuzzy red icon of childhood joy, has become the unlikely face of a political firestorm. A satirical LinkedIn post, allegedly written by Elmo, claimed the beloved character had been laid off due to federal budget cuts. While the post was quickly debunked and removed, it struck a nerve online, sparking a wave of emotional responses and memes. “You know it’s bad when Elmo is getting laid off,” one user wrote, as the slogan “Fire Elon, Save Elmo” took off across social media, spotlighting renewed threats to public broadcasting.
This meme-fueled moment arrives as Republicans, led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, escalate efforts to strip federal funding from PBS and NPR, accusing them of pushing a “radical, left-wing” and “anti-American” agenda. At a recent congressional hearing, Greene declared, “This needs to come to an end now,” while Democrats pushed back, defending the value of public media. With a sign reading “Fire Elon, Save Elmo” behind him, Rep. Greg Casar mocked the hearing’s focus, saying, “Pointing the finger at Elmo to cover for Elon Musk might be a new low.” NPR and PBS leaders fiercely defended their institutions, stressing their role in educating and informing underserved communities.
As Variety reports, Trump’s latest executive order seeks to halt all federal support for public media, reviving a battle that began during his first term. PBS CEO Paula Kerger called the order “blatantly unlawful” and warned it threatens decades of trusted educational programming. While Elmo himself isn’t actually out of work—yet—the future of public broadcasting remains uncertain. A legal showdown over the executive order looms on May 14. Until then, Elmo's imaginary layoff serves as a very real symbol of what’s at stake.
This meme-fueled moment arrives as Republicans, led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, escalate efforts to strip federal funding from PBS and NPR, accusing them of pushing a “radical, left-wing” and “anti-American” agenda. At a recent congressional hearing, Greene declared, “This needs to come to an end now,” while Democrats pushed back, defending the value of public media. With a sign reading “Fire Elon, Save Elmo” behind him, Rep. Greg Casar mocked the hearing’s focus, saying, “Pointing the finger at Elmo to cover for Elon Musk might be a new low.” NPR and PBS leaders fiercely defended their institutions, stressing their role in educating and informing underserved communities.
As Variety reports, Trump’s latest executive order seeks to halt all federal support for public media, reviving a battle that began during his first term. PBS CEO Paula Kerger called the order “blatantly unlawful” and warned it threatens decades of trusted educational programming. While Elmo himself isn’t actually out of work—yet—the future of public broadcasting remains uncertain. A legal showdown over the executive order looms on May 14. Until then, Elmo's imaginary layoff serves as a very real symbol of what’s at stake.
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00:00It's a sad day on Sesame Street. Beloved children's character Elmo is reportedly out of a job
00:05caught in the political crossfires of federal budget cuts. Today, we unpack the story behind
00:09the viral slogan, Fire Elon, Save Elmo. On Wednesday, an ex-user shared a now-deleted
00:16LinkedIn post that was allegedly written by Elmo and read, Unfortunately, Elmo was recently laid
00:21off because of federal budget cuts. Elmo is looking for his next opportunity, reminding
00:26everyone he's good at, quote, hugs and can recognize the letter E, spell his name, feel
00:31sympathy, sing Elmo's song, and ask how you are doing. Variety reports that a Sesame Workshop
00:37spokesperson confirmed the post was not from an official account and that LinkedIn has since
00:42removed it. The post appears to be an attempt to draw attention to federal budget cuts,
00:46particularly as it urges those who, quote, want to help Elmo and his friends should contact their
00:51local congressperson and advocate for public media. The public's reaction to the satirical
00:56post has been emotional with many sharing crying memes, and one ex-user reminded us,
01:01you know it's bad when Elmo's getting laid off. But this isn't the first time the idea of Elmo
01:06being fired has been used for satire. In fact, eight years ago, our own team at What's Trending
01:11predicted the same narrative and created a parody following President Trump's first election and his
01:16proposed budget cuts to arts, humanities, and public media.
01:19It does mean no great joy to inform you that due to recent cuts in government funding to PBS,
01:25you are no longer employed by Sesame Street Workshop.
01:29Just like that? But Elmo's ranch is winner!
01:32Well, you should apply for government health care. Well, you can. That's being done in two.
01:37You guys rate Elmo a good reference?
01:39I can give you a letter of recommendation.
01:43An F?
01:44Back in 2017, NPR reported that at that time, President Trump had proposed the federal budget-prioritized
01:51defense and homeland security while making steep cuts to domestic programs. These cuts included
01:56the complete elimination of funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the National
02:00Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. And fast forward to March of
02:05this year, reports state at a heated congressional hearing led by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene,
02:10Republicans accused NPR and PBS of promoting radical left-wing and anti-American content.
02:16The report state Greene claimed, quote, for far too long, federal taxpayers have been forced to
02:22fund biased news. The hearing, dubbed by critics as political theater, saw Democratic lawmakers
02:27defending public broadcasting, with Representative Gray-Kazar highlighting the absurdities of the
02:32attacks using a sign reading Fire Elon, Save Elmo.
02:35The total funding for public broadcasting is just one-sixth the amount that Elon Musk's
02:42companies make off of the government every single year.
02:46And at that time, Yahoo News reported the CEOs for PBS and NPR defended their institutions,
02:52emphasizing their role in delivering essential programming, especially in rural areas.
02:57While Democrats like Representative Robert Garcia criticized the committee for targeting beloved
03:01characters like Elmo and Arthur. Now, reports indicate that the Trump White House is pursuing
03:07a new executive order aimed at once again ending federal funding for PBS and NPR. According to
03:13Variety, the Trump administration is accusing these organizations of partisan bias and arguing that
03:18the public funding of media is outdated and undermines journalistic independence.
03:23PBS CEO Paula Kerger has responded to President Trump's executive order calling it blatantly
03:28unlawful. Kerger added that PBS is currently exploring all options to continue supporting its member
03:34stations and audiences, while NPR leadership also pledged to challenge the decision, according to reports.
03:40Although the viral post is satire and Elmo may not actually be fired, federal funding is still up in
03:46the air, with a lingering executive order and a court hearing to stop it coming up on May 14th.
03:51Let us know your thoughts below and follow us everywhere at What's Trending.