Republicans Attempt To Ban Elmo, Bert and Ernie over ‘Extreme Homosexual Agenda’

In a move that has sparked both outrage and ridicule, Republican lawmakers have pushed to defund the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), with some suggesting that beloved Sesame Street characters Elmo, Bert and Ernie are part of an “extreme homosexual agenda.”

The controversy arose during a congressional hearing on March 26, where the GOP made its case for cutting public funding to PBS and National Public Radio (NPR), citing alleged left-wing bias.

Among the most vocal critics was Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who accused PBS of indoctrinating children with progressive ideals, going so far as to claim that the broadcaster was involved in “transing children” and “brainwashing children about gender.”

Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia quickly responded to the hearing with sarcasm, highlighting what he saw as the absurdity of the Republican position.

“These two guys actually live together. They’re friends. They’re supportive of each other,” Garcia said, referring to Bert and Ernie.

“Now that might be triggering to our chairwoman… are Bert and Ernie part of an extreme homosexual agenda?”

“The American people want to know: is Elmo now, or has he ever been, a member of the Communist Party of the United States? Yes or no.”

PBS Chief Executive Paula Kerger, who was present at the hearing, simply responded, “No.”

Garcia then followed up, “Are you sure, Ms Kerger, because he’s obviously red?” much to the amusement of the Democrats and fury from the Republicans.

For decades, speculation about Bert and Ernie’s relationship has been a topic of cultural debate.

Since their debut on Sesame Street in 1969, the characters, who live together, share a home, and frequently engage in banter have been the subject of questions about their sexual orientation.

Although the show’s creators have consistently denied that the duo are a romantic couple one of the writers confirmed their relationship in 2018.

Sesame Workshop’s former president Gary Knell once stated, “They are not gay, they are not straight, they are puppets.”

Despite this, their relationship has been embraced by the LGBTQIA+ community as a symbol of companionship and representation, especially after former Sesame Street writer Mark Saltzman revealed in 2018 that they were written as a same sex couple and that he had written Bert and Ernie’s interactions based on his own relationship with his partner.

‘Fire Elon Save Elmo’ Goes Viral

The congressional hearing took an even stranger turn when social media users began using the phrase “Fire Elon Save Elmo.”

The slogan trended across X (Twitter) following the testimony, targeting tech billionaire Elon Musk, who was controversially appointed to head the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by Donald Trump earlier this year.

Garcia, highlighting the importance of public broadcasting, stated: “At a time where we can’t agree on basic facts, and while the free press is under attack, we need public media like PBS and NPR more than ever.”

He also took direct aim at Trump’s ties to Musk, stating “If we’re gonna get rid of any puppeteers, we should get rid of the one that’s controlling Donald Trump” which triggered the social media hashtag.

fire elon, SAVE ELMO pic.twitter.com/JS3bUg2ZbR

— zoe bernal (@ZoeBernal10) March 26, 2025

Fire Elon Musk, and Save Elmo. pic.twitter.com/Nkp8dobYrk

— 🄲🄱🌎☮️🇺🇦 (@rondbard) March 27, 2025

the fact that “fire elon musk, and save elmo” is even a thing makes me want to hit myself in the head w a hammer. https://t.co/yo9wZen9Wp

— gia buscarini (@gianabuscarini) March 27, 2025