Update 1:50pm CT, May 8: In an email to the Daily Dot, a Sesame Workshop spokesperson said, “Sesame Workshop and PBS have a shared commitment to using the power of public television to bring critical early learning to children across the country. For more than half a century, we have been proud to partner with them to bring Sesame Street’s beloved characters and research-based curriculum to families nationwide. We remain firmly in support of the vital public investment that allows PBS to continue this important work.”
Recession indicators are popping up everywhere, and the latest one seems to have hit a popular television show neighborhood hard—Sesame Street, to be exact. Elmo, the show’s furry-red Muppet with a consistently cheerful view on life, shared that he was “laid off” from the famous PBS program in a (now removed) LinkedIn announcement, with fans sympathizing over his loss and wondering what it means for the future of publicly funded television.
On May 7, 2025, X account @amandalitman posted a screenshot of what appeared to be a LinkedIn post from the famous Sesame Street character. “Elmo’s LinkedIn update has me…” they wrote in the caption, with three sad face emojis. The viral post has 1.4M views, 52K likes, 9.6K reshares, 3.9K saves and 300 comments.
“When they says this publication is possible because of viewers like you, why cant we just donate like what can we do??” asked X user @Graceism_ in the comments.
“This is some bullsh*t,” added X user @theteapolice. We must fight for sesame street. I hate this so much.”
“He worked 45 years for a public company. He must have an amazing pension,” X user @N0pe76 joked.
Why does Elmo have a LinkedIn?
LinkedIn users may have seen a familiar face pop up in their feeds on May 7, 2025, when “Elmo from Sesame Street” created a post discussing his recent job loss.
“Hi LinkedIn. Unfortunately Elmo was recently laid off because of the federal budget cuts,” the post begins. “Elmo worked at Sesame Street for 45 years. Elmo is sad. Elmo loved his time at Sesame Street.”
“Elmo is going to miss his friends Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Ernie, Bert, Abby, Grover, Count and so many more. They made Elmo’s day so much better,” the post continued. “Elmo is looking for his next opportunity.”
Elmo listed a few of his qualifications, such as “giving hugs” and being able to recognize the letter “E” and spell his name. He also listed “empathy,” singing, and asking about feelings.
“Elmo is open to full-time or freelance roles,” the muppet elaborated. “If you hear of any opportunities, or want a hug, let’s connect.
The post ended with a call to action, urging users to contact their local congress person “to save Public Media.”
“While Elmo is sad, Elmo is excited for what’s next,” Elmo added, closing out with three last words: “Elmo loves you.”
PBS is facing huge funding cuts
The post and the account have since been removed from LinkedIn, but many felt it might be tied to recent announcements regarding funding cuts for public television, with a focus on children’s programming in particular.
“The Donald Trump administration has now terminated grants that have been used to fund PBS Kids programming,” X account @ToonHive posted on May 6, 2025. “Trump’s Department of Education will now prioritize funding for meaningful learning and improving student outcomes instead of divisive ideologies and ‘woke propaganda.’”
@ToonHive mentioned that the grants were integral in helping “improve education for preschool and early elementary students, with goals of reaching those in low-income communities.”
Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization responsible for the production of Sesame Street and several other educational children’s programs, also announced layoffs on May 6, 2025. According to NPR, the legendary production company cited “changing media and funding landscape” as a large reason for the cuts.
Elmo is famous for his X posts, but made no mention of the LinkedIn post or layoffs on that platform. It’s unclear if the LinkedIn account was an official Sesame Workshop account or a parody.
Sesame Street fans are worried about the future of their beloved childhood show
The news of the grant cuts, layoffs, and more rippled through social media. Many sympathized with the Elmo post and used the message to promote support for funding public broadcasting.
“Elmo laid off?!” wrote LinkedIn user Brittany Long, sharing a screenshot of Elmo’s original post. “If even the most huggable icon on Sesame Street isn’t safe from budget cuts, what hope do the rest of us have?” Long, a senior recruiter at Circle Logistics, noted that “Elmo’s résumé is stronger than most” and that we should “Hire Elmo. Hug Elmo. Save Public Media.
LinkedIn user Jennifer Moffeit-Vacher reshared Long’s post, stating that “This post was brought to you by the letter W. As in ‘why Elmo and not fake Bill Gates who ‘works’ at Accenture, who is trying to ‘hire’ people?’”
“I cannot find this account for Elmo from Sesame Street,” she continued. “It gets taken down somehow, and yet there are people scamming folks for jobs that folks gotta work to get rid of. I get that it goes against T&Cs but…I would have loved to connect with Elmo.”
“You know we live in a dystopian world when @elmo announces he’s laid off on LinkedIn,” wrote X user @MosheIsaacian, resharing the screenshot of the LinkedIn post.
“Remember that time we all trauma-dumped on Elmo when he asked how we were feeling?” wrote X user @LauraU2girl, referencing a viral moment when Elmo asked how everyone was doing on the social media site, and was met with more than he bargained for. “Well, Elmo is looking for a job on LinkedIn now. His skills include hugging and feeling empathy.”
X user @tmorello took the opportunity to reference another PBS legend, Mr. Rogers, quoting, “‘There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind’.”
They also added an image of several PBS characters, including Big Bird and Barney, and added text overlay that read, “PBS didn’t ‘become woke.’ You grew up to be a bad person.” The viral post from May 7, 2025 has over 1.1M views, 96K likes, 17K reshares, 2.8K saves, and 854 comments.
Some seemed to think this wasn’t the end of the historic children’s program, however. X user @EsotericaThe replied to @amandalitman’s post, saying, “Will Trump’s cuts affect a great many educational children’s shows? Ya. Will it affect Sesame Street? Not really. Sesame Street is wildly popular and has raised huge amounts of funds privately for some time.”
X user @upwithusvegas alleged that “Sesame Street got a better deal from HBO apparently” and that “Elmo’s grifting. He’s working for The Big Guys!” News of a private partnership has not yet been announced, but HBO ended its partnership with the program in 2024, according to The New York Times.
