Posted in: HBO, NBC, TV | Tagged: Curb Your Enthusiasm, elmo, HBO, larry david, nbc, sesame street, the today show, wil wheaton

Why Wil Wheaton's Views Matter When It Comes to Larry David/Elmo Mess

Larry David attacking Elmo on NBC's TODAY sparked the ire of Wil Wheaton but too many are tone-deaf to what should be a teachable moment.

The vitriol on Wil Wheaton for commenting on what happened between Larry David and Sesame Street's Elmo is inexcusable. It serves as another reminder of the need for safe spaces. Quick recap: Elmo posted on January 29th a social media-wide wellness check writing, "Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?" Everyone from regular accounts, celebrities, and companies (in some of the cases of the latter two, social media managers and interns) responded to the character. The Curb Your Enthusiasm star appeared on TODAY along with the character. The results were anything but cordial, but producers felt the professional wrestling swerve felt right for daytime television, which set off Wheaton in a post on Facebook.

Wil Wheaton on Larry David's "Attack" on Elmo on The Today Show

"So I heard about Larry David assaulting Elmo on life television, but didn't watch it until now, because I knew it would upset me," Wheaton began. "Holy shit it's even worse than I thought. What the fuck is wrong with that guy? Elmo is, like, the best friend to multiple generations of children. In the Sesame Street universe, ELMO IS A CHILD, who is currently putting mental health and caring for others in the spotlight. And Larry Fucking David … did … that? And thought it was going to be … funny? What? What an asshole. What a stupid, self-centered, tone deaf asshole…"

Wheaton continues to break down his childhood trauma growing up with an abusive father, what Sesame Street meant in his youth and millions of children, why they might not understand the comedic stunt on the NBC show, and why David was abhorrent every step of the way right down to what the Star Trek: The Next Generation star felt was an insincere apology at best.

Could David still pull this off elsewhere? Perhaps on his HBO series, where everyone is literally in on the joke, but you know, it wouldn't have pulled off this shock value as children could be potentially watching. Even when you look at avant-garde comedians like Andy Kaufman, who's about as loose cannon as it got for prime-time television in the 1970s and 80s, he exhibited nothing but class when interviewing the popular children's puppet character Howdy Doody, voiced by Buffalo Bob Smith in his special in 1979. That same Kaufman who thrived being a misogynist intergender professional wrestler and feuded with Jerry "the King" Lawler.

Speaking of wrestling, Shawn Michaels, in 1997, in a match against Stone Cold Steve Austin during WWE's King of the Ring, broke character to tend to a fan with a disability who hopped the guard rail during the company's more adult "Attitude Era." It takes a kind of self-awareness to realize timing and know what is appropriate between fantasy and reality, something many younger children are still developing. Rather than trauma shame because you might feel like your lack of empathy represents some badge of honor, how about you listen to those like Wheaton because you might learn a thing or two, especially about mental health, like what Elmo was trying to when he reached out to the world? You can check out Wheaton's post below.

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