Comedian Larry David has apologized for taking one joke a step too far after he physically attacked the beloved Sesame Street character Elmo.
It quickly became clear this week that no one is allowed to mess with Elmo - but David apparently wasn't aware of that before he appeared as a guest on the NBC show Today.
David appeared for an interview separately to Elmo, but he made sure they crossed paths when he crashed the set and grabbed Elmo by his furry head.
The sudden attack came as a surprise to Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Craig Melvin, who looked on in horror as David shook Elmo's face.
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David walked off the set just as quickly as he arrived, but Guthrie made clear she wasn't happy as she commented: "Larry, you’ve gone too far this time!”
David quipped off-camera that 'somebody had to do it' - but it quickly emerged that the general public didn't agree.
The comedian faced backlash for his actions, with one shocked viewer writing online: "Why on earth would Larry do that? He for real had no reason to do that."
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Even T-Pain stuck up for the Sesame Street character in a post on X, writing: "I know I didn’t just see my mans @elmo assaulted on live TV."
The singer doubled down on his support for Elmo on Instagram, where he re-shared the X post and wrote: "@Elmo say the word."
Thankfully David did see the error of his ways, and when it was his turn to be interviewed he expressed his regret for the violent outburst.
Admittedly he was holding back laughter while he did so, but it was still an apology all the same.
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“Elmo, I just want to apologize,” David said. “I’m really sorry.”
Setting a good example for people everywhere, Elmo insisted they were back on good terms.
“Thank you, Larry,” Elmo responded. “Elmo accepts your apology."
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The attack against Elmo came after the character went viral for sharing a post on X in which he asked: "How is everybody doing?"
X users took the opportunity to open up and ran with it, with replies making clear that generally, people aren't doing well at all.
"Elmo I’m depressed and broke," one response read.
Another person simply posted: "Not great, Elmo. Not great."
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The influx of responses led to Elmo's appearance on Today, where the character spoke about the wellbeing resources offered by Sesame Street.
Meanwhile, David was on the show to promote the upcoming 12th and final season of his series Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Topics: Film and TV, Celebrity, Viral
Emily Brown