Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm is finally in its final season (no, really), and it seems to really be having an effect on him. Or maybe his erratic behaviour is the reason for ending the long-running series? It's a real chicken-egg scenario, but either way, the comedian had an outburst on the Today show yesterday (February 1) and a cherished Sesame Street character was caught in the crossfire.
Elmo has been a looming figure in the cultural imagination this week. It began with an innocent-seeming post on the website formerly (and still, let's be real) known as Twitter on Monday (January 29). "Elmo is just checking in!" the puppet wrote, likely typing with his beloved crayon. "How is everybody doing?"
Not well, Elmo. A lot of trauma dumping — and memes — ensued in the replies, up until our fuzzy little friend (and his PR team) was all but forced to follow up the next day (January 30), writing, "Wow! 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," adding a #EmotionalWellBeing for good measure.
This even prompted US President Joe Biden to get involved — which got a quote tweet from neighbourhood wackadoodle Jordan Peterson, who added, "I can rightly believe that those who are writing tweets for poor old @JoeBiden are admirers of that bloody horrible whiny puppet. Elmo would definitely vote for @TheDemocrats." (It should also be noted that Peterson's voice has often drawn comparisons to Elmo's pal, Kermit the Frog.)
Now, where does Larry David play into this, you may ask? Both he and Elmo were guests on the Today show, the producers of which had obviously caught wind of Elmo's viral tweets and wanted to do a segment "checking in" with him. And the magic of live television meant that David, who was waiting to be interviewed about Season 12 of Curb Your Enthusiasm, interrupted the segment by pummelling the poor muppet.
After walking off the soundstage, the comedian can be heard barking, "Somebody had to do it!" And because karma works quickly, David was then forced to apologize to Elmo on air.
But the Curb press day didn't end there: David was on Late Night with Seth Meyers later, well, that night, and the host naturally asked him about the altercation. While he initially tried to play coy, Meyers pressed, then David explained (while imitating the Sesame Street character's high-pitched voice), "Elmo was, he was going on about mental health and I had to listen to every word. And I was going, 'Oh my God, oh my God, I don't think I can take another second of this!' And so I got off my chair and I approached him, and I throttled him!"
He added, "I couldn't take it!" David proceeded to ruin any of the goodwill he may have garnered from Elmo with his apology, telling Meyers, "And you know what? I would do it again!" It sounds like he needs one of Elmo's check-ins, or at least a good tickle.
T-Pain has since offered to have Elmo's back if David tries to cash him ousside again, writing, "@Elmo just say the word" in an Instagram story.
Watch the attack— and the aftermath — below.