When Larry David gatecrashed the set during beloved Muppet Elmo’s interview and throttled him on the 1st Feb. airing of NBC’s TODAY show, the audience’s consensus had been to laugh it off. Many deemed it a comedic bit; some believed it was a staged gag. However, it now appears that not everybody found the stunt funny.
Among those, Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Wil Wheaton took to Facebook to express how ‘appalling’ the aggressive confrontation between the Sesame Street character and the misanthropic comedian of Curb Your Enthusiasm had been.
Besides calling the on-air attack on Elmo an “unforgivable” act, the 51-year-old actor revealed that David’s much-reported shenanigans evoked perturbing memories of his abusive childhood, where he had to undergo a treatment similar to what the puppet experienced on the morning show. He then proceeded with a lengthy, critical essay explaining how the Seinfeld co-creator’s actions can impact impressionable young people.
Wheaton also took offense to Larry David barging into Elmo’s TODAY segment, where the topic of conversation had revolved around mental health. A combination of these factors struck the Stand by Me star’s nerve.
Wil Wheaton Rebuked Larry David For His Attack On Elmo On NBC’s TODAY
Netizens’ jocular treatment of the on-air throttling of children’s favorite Muppet by Larry David is being put into reassessment after Wil Wheaton penned an intense, heated criticism on Facebook, denouncing the comedian’s actions on last week’s airing of TODAY show. The Big Bang Theory alum prefaced in this lengthy post that he didn’t intend to watch the viral footage, as he “knew it would upset” him. Though, after seeing the clip, Wheaton’s verdict was that “It’s even worse than I thought.”
Putting David on blast, the 51-year-old actor commented, “What an a–hole. What a stupid, self-centered, tone-deaf a–hole.”
Wheaton then revealed that the self-parodying comedian, whose appearance on the show last week was concerned with the promotion of Curb Your Enthusiasm‘s final season, and his joking-thrashing of Elmo, a three-and-a-half years old Muppet, made him relive traumatic memories of his childhood abuse at the hands of his father.
Following was the actor’s statement:
“When I was growing up, my dad would grab me by the shoulders and shake me while he screamed in my face. He choked me more than once. He was always out of control, always in a furious rage, and always terrifying. I’m a 51-year-old man, and my heart is pounding right now, recalling how I felt when I was a little boy who loved Grover the way today’s kids love Elmo.”
Wil Wheaton subsequently mentioned Larry David’s apology to Elmo following the attack’s aftermath, a by-product of TODAY‘s co-anchors Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie urging the Whatever Works alum to speak from his heart. The Stand by Me star said of the comedian’s disposition, “Larry David, this was not okay, and your obviously insincere “apology” clearly communicates that you don’t get that.”
The Facebook post delved into other facets of the incident. The Toy Soldiers alum highlighted how David “barged” in during Elmo’s segment, where the red Muppet was addressing the reaction to his X post. The conversation centered around the emotional venting on the site and in the replies to the question posed by the Ryan Dillon-puppeteered character asking users how they were doing.
Wil Wheaton didn’t like that the comedian disrupted the segment where Elmo and the show anchors were tackling the topic of mental health. He said:
“You couldn’t stand that a puppet brought people together in a meaningful way that you can’t? You couldn’t stand that your appearance on national television to promote your wildly successful series was delayed for a few seconds while the adults talked about mental health?”
The actor’s elaborate response to the occurrence has struck a chord with many, who have since supported Wheaton’s stance. A few were compelled to re-examine their lighthearted reception to the incident. However, some online users ridiculed the star’s lengthy statement, deeming it “over-sensitive.”
Netizens React To Wil Wheaton Slamming Larry David’s Elmo Attack
In his Facebook essay, Wil Wheaton also mentioned that Elmo, as “an avatar for children all over the world,” getting attacked could have frightened kids who love the Sesame Street character and are too young to understand he’s a puppet. He stated:
“He had to indirectly tell everyone who opened their hearts to a Muppet that they were stupid, and he thought it was a good joke to physically attack and choke this character who is beloved by children and adults alike. Do you know what that tells impressionable young people about sharing their feelings?”
As you can guess, Wheaton’s detailed statement has been traversing various corners of the internet, and in a nutshell, the reception has been divisive. While the majority of responses on the post itself are favorable, not everyone was as empathetic on X. Some resorted to jokes, and a few offered well-structured criticism. Nevertheless, there were also those who took Wheaton’s side on the matter, condemning certain users for making fun of the actor’s feelings.
Take a look:
People on the bird app are laughing at Wil Wheaton for this, but I think:
1. he's right, and
2. there's nothing funny about his CPTSD getting triggered. pic.twitter.com/oj72bgNimv— Hieronymus Botch (also on Bsky) (@pentag0nal) February 8, 2024
Wil Wheaton is mad at Larry David! This is not a drill! We live in a Curb episode! https://t.co/IZYYXub1Ra
— FICO in tinder bio (@NotMyLinkedIn) February 8, 2024
i don’t think we should make fun of Wil Wheaton for the elmo post actually! i think we should allow adults who were wildly abused as children to talk about their reactions to things without making fun of them!
— green baby (@1muchgravy) February 8, 2024
Everyone should adopt the “it ain’t that deep” mindset because I assure you, you’ll be much happier in life. https://t.co/JZM9bDDSut pic.twitter.com/Mr4Z2e2IRi
— Garrett (@GarrettHill417) February 8, 2024
This is an excellent reminder that self-imposed trauma is not everyone else's problem. Elmo is a puppet. Linking things in your brain and not being able to separate literally harmless humor from your own sadness does not make the humor harmful or wrong. https://t.co/DcApUHFaKj
— Great Basin Theo (@BasinTheo) February 8, 2024
Will Wheaton raging in defense of Elmo, sounds exactly like a Larry David skit.
— Planet_Winfinite (@PWinfinite) February 8, 2024
Previously, after he apologized to the red Muppet on TODAY, Larry David appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers to provide a little context to why his attack on Elmo transpired. Emulating the character’s high-pitched voice, David said:
“I was waiting to be interviewed. And Elmo was [in Elmo’s voice] 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!’”
This prompted the comedian to get up, barge into the set, and throttle the Sesame Street puppet. He then promised, “And, you know what, I would do it again.”
Whether Larry David answers Wil Wheaton’s criticisms is still to be seen. The comedian was recently spotted doing press rounds to promote Curb Your Enthusiasm‘s twelfth and final season. The first episode premiered on February 4, 2024, and is available on Max.
