"Elmo lost his f*ing mind" - Jon Stewart interviews Elmo in a Sesame Street spoof regarding the viral tweets and hacked X account

Elmo has become the unexpected center of political satire and online outrage after his official X account was hacked last week. The incident, which resulted in a series of offensive and antisemitic posts, sparked backlash across social media platforms. In response, Jon Stewart opened the July 15, 2025 episode of The Daily Show with a spoof interview featuring Elmo, satirizing both the hacked tweets and the broader cultural response.

The spoof segment took the form of a parody Sesame Street interview where Stewart humorously held the character "accountable" for the posts, only for the puppet to alternate between claims of hacking, radicalization by online conspiracy groups, and desperation over losing government funding. Stewart began,

"We had a tremendous show planned... but sadly, at the last minute we had to scrap all that because Elmo lost his f***ing mind."

While comedic in tone, the segment came in direct response to the real-world reaction to the hacked account, which Sesame Workshop confirmed had been compromised over the weekend. The clip has reignited discussions around digital safety, platform moderation, and political disinformation.

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Elmo spoof interview on The Daily Show draws attention to hacked account

A screenshot of the hacked X account featuring antisemitic and vulgar posts, including references to Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump, at the center of the viral spoof by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. (Image via X)

The spoof interview on The Daily Show aired the next day after a wave of antisemitic and racist messages appeared on the character's verified X account, which has more than 647,000 followers. The posts also included vulgar references to Jeffrey Epstein and insults aimed at Donald Trump, with demands to

“RELEASE THE FILES.”

One now-deleted tweet read,

"Elmo says ALL JEWS SHOULD DIE. F---JEWS. DONALD TRUMP IS NETANYAHU’S PUPPET BECAUSE HE IS IN THE EPSTEIN FILES."

Jon Stewart introduced the sketch by mocking the severity of the news coverage,

"Is that the only B-roll of Elmo you have to play for the death-to-Jews story? He's dancing. Couldn’t you have used something of him being sad or circumspect?"

The character entered the spoof as a puppet saying,

"Who's ready to learn about rainbows?"

before Stewart asked him directly,

"Elmo, you know what we're here to talk about... the Jews."

Initially, the puppet claimed,

"They hacked Elmo. They guessed Elmo's password was Elmo123,"

but quickly confessed,

"It was Elmo. But Elmo was radicalized by the manosphere."

The puppet character said he had been doing his "own research on flu shots," which led to hours on QAnon Discord chats and "building homemade bombs." Later, when pressed on his role as a children's icon, he responded,

"Are you canceling Elmo? Once again, the so-called tolerant left policing speech... Who’s the real puppet now, Jon?"

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Sesame Workshop confirms Elmo's X account was hacked

According to a statement from Sesame Workshop released on July 14, the organization that oversees the character and its social media presence, the X account was hacked and has since been secured. The statement read:

"Elmo’s X account was compromised by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages, including antisemitic and racist posts. We are working to restore full control of the account."

The antisemitic posts appeared in quick succession and included calls for violence and conspiracy rhetoric. The posts were deleted later that day, and the account has not posted anything since. Reports from BBC, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian on July 14, 2025, confirm that a link to a Telegram account claiming credit for the hack briefly appeared on the X account page before being removed.

Elmo’s account had previously been known for promoting mental health awareness. In 2024, a viral post from the character's X account asking,

"How is everybody doing?"

received thousands of responses and sparked widespread conversation. Following the hack, many users from both political sides expressed shock. Senator Mike Lee posted,

"I’m forever scarred… by @elmo. Words I never expected to utter."

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Jon Stewart uses Elmo skit to highlight political contradictions

Jon Stewart opens The Daily Show by spoofing the viral X controversy, using the segment to explore political contradictions and social media outrage. (Image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In the spoof, Stewart connected Elmo’s behavior to shifting political narratives. The Department of Justice recently closed the Epstein case, and Stewart highlighted how Donald Trump’s base reacted strongly after initially supporting investigations. Elmo’s puppet character said,

"Donald Trump’s response is brought to you by the letters F and U,"

referring to the backlash over Epstein files not being released. Elmo then spiraled into conflicting political extremes, switching from alt-right slogans to leftist rebellion chants like “Antifa forever” and “Viva la revolución.” Stewart responded,

“That just sounds like alt-right talking point word salad,”

to which the puppet said,

“You said it, not Elmo. Elmo’s alt-right.”

Moments later, he re-radicalized himself to the left,

"Listening to your trenchant analysis has re radicalized Elmo to the populist left. Free Luigi! Death to Mr. Noodle!"

The skit ended with the puppet shouting,

"Elmo can’t go back. Elmo won’t go back,"

referring to funding cuts to public broadcasting. Throughout the bit, Stewart’s satire pointed to broader frustrations about political inconsistency and online accountability.

The spoof appearance of Elmo on The Daily Show followed a real security incident involving his official social media. While the Jon Stewart segment leaned into satire and parody, it reflected ongoing public concerns around digital security, political messaging, and how quickly internet icons can become involved in wider controversies.