'What's next, Allahu Akbar?!' Sesame Street sparks furious backlash after Elmo 'radicalises' children with Arabic phrases

Peter Stevens
Fri, 17 Apr 2026 23:34:47 +0000

Elmo has been seen teaching children Arabic phrases in a new Sesame Street clip, sparking backlash.

The clip, made to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month, featured comedian and actor Ramy Youssef.

In the segment, Elmo asksed Mr Youssef what "salamu alaykum" meant.

The comedian, who rose to fame in his show Ramy, told Elmo it means "peace", and was a way to say "hello" in Arabic.

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Elmo then said "salamu alaykam!" to all of the viewers, adding "Happy Arab American Heritage month!"

After Mr Youseff shared a message about his own Arab heritage, he called Elmo a "habibi".

Elmo asked Mr Youseff what "habibi" meant, with the New York born comedian saying it is "an Arabic word for a special friend".

"Happy Arab American Heritage month, habibi," Elmo told Mr Youseff as he gave him a hug.

The video has sparked backlash on social media, with one user saying "Elmo's been radicalised".

The user added: "What’s next - 'Allahu Akbar' during nap time?"

Sesame Street is produced by nonprofit Sesame Workshop, and has aired on the American Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) since it first aired in 1969.

The show is aimed at children aged between two and four years old and has won 222 Emmy awards, more than any other children's programme.

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"I remember when PBS was Mister Rogers taking you to the grocery and teaching you how to be polite," one person said.

Journalist Nick Sortor said: "Shut down PBS. It's time."

In May 2025, Donald Trump signed an executive order to defund PBS and National Public Radio (NPR), Government funded broadcasters and news outlets which the President said did not represent "a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events" in their journalism.

In his executive order, he said it was his administration's policy to ensure "biased and partisan" news coverage did not receive any form of federal funding.

On March 31 a federal judge blocked the permanent implementation of the executive order as he ruled it was against the first amendment.

"It is difficult to conceive of clearer evidence that a government action is targeted at viewpoints that the president does not like and seeks to squelch," judge Randolph Moss - who was nominated by Barack Obama - said in his ruling.

British children can watch the show on Netflix after Sesame Street started a partnership with the streaming platform in 2025.

Mr Youssef premiered his new show #1 Happy Family USA about an Egyptian-American Muslim family in New Jersey on Amazon last year.

In November, the actor portrayed New York mayor Zohran Mamdani on Saturday Night Live.

Sesame Street and the BBC were engaged in a public spat between 1970 and 1971.

The creators of the show hoped it or an international co-production could be broadcast on British airwave, but the BBC refused, with the then-head of children's programming at the BBC describing the show as "indoctrination" and a "dangerous extension of the use of television".