Leave it to Larry David to attack Elmo while the Sesame Street puppet is in a particularly vulnerable state.
During an appearance on NBC’s TODAY on Thursday morning, the infamous grump interrupted a live segment with Elmo by grabbing the red Muppet’s face and proceeding to pummel it. The incident appeared to catch hosts Craig Melvin, Savannah Guthrie, and Hoda Kotb completely off guard, signaling that it was unplanned.
As David walked off the set, he exclaimed, “Somebody had to do it!” In response, Elmo said, “Mr. Larry, Elmo liked you before,” and Elmo’s father, Louie, proceeded to chastise David, threatening to sue him for assault.
Once it came time for David’s actual segment, Kotb and Guthrie pressured the Curb Your Enthusiasm creator and star to speak to Elmo “from the heart.” Flustered, David said, “From where? What organ are you talking about?” Having been put on the spot, David gave Elmo an apology, which the cheerful puppet accepted.
Check out video of the incident below.
Elmo happens to be in the midst of a rough week after the internet trauma dumped on him in response to an innocent tweet saying, “Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” Given the current state of affairs, the general response was, “Not great, pal!”
Ever optimistic, Elmo posted a follow-up tweet emphasizing the importance of mental health check-ins: “Elmo is glad he asked! Elmo learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing. Elmo will check in again soon, friends! Elmo loves you.❤️ #EmotionalWellBeing”
Meanwhile, the 12th and final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm premieres this Sunday, February 4th. Read our review of the first episode, in which Senior Entertainment Editor Liz Shannon Miller writes, “It’s honestly fascinating to see Larry contend with moments of physical comedy that wouldn’t have felt out of place in the silent film era.”
David is also holding a live event called “A Conversation with Larry David” in Washington, DC, and Boston this spring. A Live Nation pre-sale is ongoing (use access code SPOTLIGHT) ahead of the general on-sale opening on Friday, February 2nd via Ticketmaster. Once tickets are on sale, you can also find them at StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program.
@consequence I don’t think I can ever forgive Larry David for this. #larrydavid #curbyourenthusiasm #elmo #sesamestreet
