Apparently, times are tough even on Sesame Street. A post that was seemingly from Elmo went viral when the Muppet let people know he was “open to work” on LinkedIn. Now, people are wondering: Did Elmo get fired from Sesame Street?

Did Elmo Get Fired From ‘Sesame Street’?

The post on LinkedIn wasn’t actually from an official PBS account even though it fooled several people into thinking it was. The confusion stemmed from a satirical LinkedIn post that humorously claimed Elmo was laid off due to federal budget cuts affecting PBS funding. The since-deleted post was written in Elmo’s signature third-person style and created by a fan. The account was not affiliated with Sesame Workshop and the lovable Muppet remains a part of the Sesame Street family and TV show.

What Did the Satirical Post From the Fan-Run Elmo Account Say?

The fan-run Elmo account shared a message on LinkedIn on May 7, 2025, and it changed its status to “open to work” on the site.

“Unfortunately Elmo was recently laid off because of the federal budget cuts. Elmo worked at Sesame Street for 45 years. Elmo is sad. Elmo loved his time at Sesame Street,” the message read.

It added that Elmo was going to miss working with other popular Muppets on the show, including Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Ernie, Bert, Abby, Grover and the Count.

The message continued, “Elmo is looking for his next opportunity. Elmo is good at so many things. Like hugs. Elmo LOVES giving hugs. Elmo can also recognize the letter E, spell his name, feel empathy, sing ‘Elmo’s Song’ and ask how you are doing. Elmo is open to full-time or freelance work. If you hear of any opportunities, or want a hug, let’s connect. And if you want to help Elmo and his friends, please urge your local congress person to save Public Media.”

It ended by saying that while Elmo was “sad,” he was “excited for what came next” and signed off with “Elmo loves you.”

Why Did People Think Elmo Was Fired From ‘Sesame Street’?

The LinkedIn post showed up just days after real-life headlines about federal budget cuts to PBS and public media began circulating.

On May 1, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at eliminating all federal funding to PBS and NPR. The order claimed the networks promoted political bias.

So, when a fake Elmo account started joking about being laid off after “45 years” on Sesame Street, a lot of people didn’t realize it was satire. The timing felt a little too coincidental, and suddenly, fans were spiraling over the idea that even Elmo wasn’t safe from budget cuts.

In 2015, Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, entered into an agreement with HBO (now Max) and granted the network the rights to air new episodes first. Under this deal, new episodes would premiere on Max and later air on PBS several months afterward. However, in December 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of Max, announced it would not renew its agreement to air new episodes of Sesame Street. The 55th season, which premiered in January 2025, was the last to debut on Max.