trauma dump

Elmo asked how everyone’s doing on the internet & a sh*tstorm rained down on Sesame Street

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Two-panel image. On the left, red and fuzzy puppet Elmo from Sesame Street, with big eyes and an orange nose, sits on a stoop smiling. He holds an orange doll in his hands. On the right, Dorina Medley, with a blonde and jagged bob haircut, stands in the middle of a room crying. She wears a black turtleneck.

Is everyone OK? Short answer: no.

It was just a regular day on Beyoncé’s internet when our favorite red and fuzzy puppet posed a simple question on social media: “How is everybody doing?”

Oof. Read the room!

Our Sesame Street pal is no stranger to viral moments after his feud with pet rock Rocco captivated the internet in 2022. Seriously.

But it’s safe to say Elmo –– and his respective social media manager –– could not have anticipated the sh*tstorm that was about to rain down in the comments section. (Perhaps he should’ve asked gay BFFs Bert & Ernie for a gut check.)

How is everyone doing, Elmo? To quote Real Housewives’ Dorinda Medley: “Not well, b*tch!”

In barely 24 hours, the original post racked up over 9,300 replies, 35,000 reposts, and 124 million views.

Considering the general population is grappling with impending political turmoil, rising housing prices, mass layoffs, and not being able to afford Madonna tickets, both gay and straight social media users were more than ready to trauma dump.

And the fact that the question was posed on the toxic cesspool of a website formally known as Twitter certainly didn’t help.

From complaints about climate change and football scores, to shameless brand responses, the entire thread is bleak.

Well, aside from musicians like Chance the Rapper and T-Pain, who used the opportunity to launch his search for a special someone.

“I’m just looking for somebody to talk to and show me some love if you know what I mean,” the Auto-Tune virtuoso wrote. We sure do, friend.

Still, it was kind of hilarious.

Especially since, as some users pointed out, Elmo is a three-year-old puppet who speaks in third person –– and certainly not a trained therapist.

And the hidden replies were even more unhinged. This poor guy just wants to get tickled and duet with Rosie O’Donnell!

Eventually, the post creeped down the block to the official Sesame Street account, which shared some “#EmotionalWellbeing resources.”

That’s right –– Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and even Count von Count said, “Y’all need therapy!”

But despite the vitriol, oversharing, and deranged responses, Elmo remains an eternal optimist.

And in a followup to the original post, he wrote, “Wow! Elmo is glad he asked! Elmo learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing. Elmo will check in again soon, friends!”

Uh… good luck with that!

Hopefully, things are going a little better for Sesame Street’s resident gay dads Frank and Dave.

Check out some of the most hilarious responses to poor lil’ Elmo below.

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