Elmo might've gotten in over his head on social media, and now he might have some regrets after his latest viral moment. Perhaps bolstered by the attention he received for complimenting Taylor Swift's fashion choices, the young Muppet hopped on X to ask people how they were doing. As he soon found out, that's the wrong question to ask in 2024.
It all started innocently enough, as most things involving Elmo do. The 3-and-a-half-year-old creature was trying to make conversation on the internet, but he did so in the worst way possible. The little red monster asked his 450k+ followers how things are going, probably expecting a comment or two, which isn't inherently a bad thing:
Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?January 29, 2024
The main mistake here is that he asked the question on X, a place I would argue is more cynical and angry than other social media platforms. Even controversial celebrities like Kanye West have left the platform, which could indicate how negative a place it can sometimes be. Unsurprisingly, Elmo was bombarded with a lot of replies, most of which read along the lines of what @ContrarianGuild wrote:
Every morning, I cannot wait to go back to sleep. Every Monday, I cannot wait for Friday to come. Every single day and every single week for life.
The moment wasn't quite as viral as when Elmo made waves for sharing his true feelings about Zoe's pet rock, Rocco, but it soon became clear the Sesame Street star was in over his head. @DaveMcNamee3000 gave Elmo the answer he wanted, but likely not the one that he hoped for:
Wife left me. Daughters don’t respect me. My job is a joke. Any more questions, Elmo??? Jesus man.
It didn't take long before the Muppet was overwhelmed. Eventually, the corporate overlords had to step in. The official Sesame Street account popped up to try and grant the character some reprieve from the bombardment of internet negativity, and it offered resources to help anyone who is struggling:
Thank you, @Elmo, for checking in with a reminder for us to pause and take a mindful moment to focus on how we’re feeling. For #EmotionalWellbeing resources and more, visit @SesameWorkshop:https://t.co/sNuUmq73i5 https://t.co/CkooNXI11LJanuary 29, 2024
While some appreciated the effort by Sesame Street to try and get those who might've commented with serious problems the help they need, others thought it was outright hilarious. @BeccaLizz pointed out the humor in the situation and perhaps the sad reality about how people are feeling in 2024:
We started this year. STARTED IT, by trauma dumping so hard on Elmo, the official Sesame Street account had to tweet out mental health resources.
After reading through the thousands upon thousands of replies, I can't offer much in the way of counseling to cure everyone's problems. Being a lowly entertainment writer, I can only say that if we're looking at the 2024 TV schedule, television is bound to get better, especially with the resolution of the WGA writers' strike and the SAG-AFTRA strike. So, we do have that to look forward to, along with many other things.
And while Elmo might be more adult-friendly on X, one can always enjoy whatever he's got going on in Sesame Street with a Max subscription or on the PBS Kids app. Even adults can enjoy the newer episodes, which often feature parodies of shows like The Walking Dead or other award-winning programs.
