Appearing to be what Jerry Seinfield might have called an anti-Muppet-ite, “Seinfeld” co-creator Larry David began his appearance on Thursday’s edition of “Today” by attacking Elmo the Sesame Street puppet.
David appeared while the show was in the midst of getting a weather report from Al Roker, but the report was cut short amid sputtering from Elmo as the camera cut to David attacking the little red puppet.
The hosts reacted to what appeared to be an unscripted moment.
As for Elmo, he responded by saying, “Mr. Larry, Elmo loved you before” as David, grinning, walked off the set.
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“Larry, you’ve gone too far this time,” host Savannah Guthrie said.
“Somebody had to do it,” David called out.
Didn’t see that coming,” Roker said.
Later, Hoda Kotb and Guthrie told David to look into the camera and apologize as they sat with him in another part of the set.
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Kotb told him to speak “from your heart.”
“From where? What organ are you talking about?” he asked.
“Elmo,” he began.
“Sorry?” Elmo interjected.
The entire internet trauma-dumped on Elmo and then he was attacked by Larry David in front of his father on live television. This is the kind of high-profile celebrity drama that Miss Piggy could only dream of. pic.twitter.com/HTJJ9QR13D
— Tyler (@tmonson23) February 2, 2024
“I just want to apologize,” David said.
“Thank you Larry,” Elmo said. “Elmo accepts your apology, Larry.”
David then pitched his voice to imitate Elmo and went “”Ok. Thank you. Thank you.”
But alas, insincerity may have been at work, at least if the comments from David on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” as reported by Rolling Stone are to be believed.
“I don’t think I want to talk about it,” he said initially. “Yeah, yeah. I did it.”
Larry David comes clean about what went down with Elmo. pic.twitter.com/gLZa7Dx50T
— Late Night with Seth Meyers (@LateNightSeth) February 2, 2024
But then David took off the mask of contrition.
“Elmo was talking. I was waiting to be interviewed, and he was going on about mental health, and I had to listen to every word,” David said,
“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 said.
“I couldn’t take it! And you know what? I would do it again!” he said.
