Larry David was forced to “apologize” to Elmo after unexpectedly attacking the “Sesame Street” character during an appearance on “Today” Thursday.
While the comedian, 76, was there to promote the final season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” the beloved puppet was in studio alongside his dad, Louie, to chat with Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Craig Melvin about the importance of mental health resources.
However, as the show was transitioning from segment to segment, David walked over to Elmo and smushed in his face before taking a playful swing at Louie.
The attack caught the three journalists — as well as Al Roker, who was standing by the weather wall — by complete surprise and they began shouting at David.
“Oh, my gosh, you love Elmo, don’t you?” Guthrie said to David as a visibly shocked Melvin exclaimed, “Oh, my God!”
Meanwhile, Kotb covered her face with her hands before turning to Elmo to ask if he was “OK.”
While Elmo didn’t seem too rattled by the encounter, Louie used the opportunity as a teaching moment.
“Ask permission before you touch people, Larry,” Louie said.
The red muppet then took the opportunity to further their message about the importance of talking through your emotions.
“Get back on the couch and let’s talk about how you feel,” Elmo requested.
Melvin also tried to comfort the character by joking that the streaming service Max would have “canceled [David’s] show if it wasn’t already the last season.”
“Larry, you’ve gone too far this time,” Savannah added, to which Roker replied, “Is anyone really surprised?”
However, later on in the episode Guthrie and Kotb got the known curmudgeon to apologize to the plush duo.
“Do you have something you want to say to Elmo… from the heart?” Guthrie asked David.
“From where?” he joked. “What organ are you talking about?”
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Despite initially brushing off the attack, David eventually gave in.
“Elmo, I just want to apologize,” the “Seinfeld” star told the furry red monster, who replied, “Thank you, Larry. Elmo accepts your apology.”
Although the unlikely duo made up, the situation left many fans with a bad taste in their mouth given the topic matter that Elmo was there to discuss.
“Larry David ruined a beautiful story,” one person commented under a video of the segment on Instagram. “I felt like I was watching Will Smith all over again. Very sad.”
“Although you tried to play it off, Larry David totally messed it up…guess no one told him the theme of the segment 😳” another shocked viewer added.
“I must say, I was shocked – it was cringe worthy,” a third wrote. “I love Larry David, but he should have stayed seated until his own segment. 😟”
Elmo and Louie joined the “Today” hosts after the former sparked a flurry of emotional venting on X earlier this week.
“Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” he tweeted on Monday, leading thousands of people to trauma dump on the muppet.
However, Elmo took the opportunity to spark a larger conversation about mental health and the importance of seeking help.
