Elmo was just laid off. Or at least that is what the internet thought when a fake LinkedIn profile of the beloved Red Muppet — complete with a layoff notice and desperate job hunt — went viral. The satire was hilarious. But the reason it hit so hard? Because it’s not entirely a joke.
In early May 2025, the Trump administration signed an executive order to end all federal funding to National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), effectively gutting the backbone of America’s public educational media system. “Sesame Street,” the iconic show that taught generations of children their ABCs, how to count and how to be kind, is one of the many programs on the chopping block. While the internet laughed, I cried.
This isn’t just about one show or one network, it’s about the future of accessible, inclusive education for children across America. For many of us in low-income or multilingual households, public edutainment wasn’t background noise — it was a lifeline. Cutting PBS is like slamming the last open door in their face. The term “edutainment” was coined in the modern sense by Walt Disney, representing a form of media that combines education and entertainment.
When I was a kid, I struggled a lot with reading and spelling. I had a hard time keeping up in school. I was also a picky eater who was in and out of doctors’ offices constantly. Learning felt scary and embarrassing until my older brother, Ricky, started tutoring me and turned off “Spongebob” in my free time and played PBS Kids instead.
PBS Kids became my classroom, my safe place and made me excited to learn, to the point I became a more curious child. I watched “WordGirl,” “Wild Kratts,” and my all-time favorite, “The Electric Company,” which greatly helped when I struggled to pronounce words.
“Sesame Street” taught me how to be a kind kid while “Sid the Science Kid” taught me to be curious about nature. “Martha Speaks” expanded my vocabulary. “Caillou” taught me how not to be a brat. “Bill Nye” made me excited for science. “Cyberchase” thrilled me with how computers have different programs. And “Curious George” taught me to count.
Many others like “Clifford,” “The Cat in the Hat,” “Arthur,” “Dragon Tales,” “Elmo’s World,” “Dinosaur Train,” “Super Why,” “Maya and Miguel,” “Teletubbies,” reruns of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” and “Thomas the Train” also taught me so many more important life skills. I even watched the Spanish versions of these shows when I stayed at my grandma’s house. These weren’t just shows, they were everything to me.
I remember getting a special “Sesame Street” DVD from my pediatrician to help with my food anxiety called “Let’s Eat! Funny Food Songs.” Having the beloved muppets talk about food did more than any adult simply telling me to move past my anxiety. These resources provided by PBS changed my life for the better.
I was finally eating healthy and learning. Edutainment has the power to help so many, just like it helped me. President Trump’s cut in funding for PBS will isolate kids who are struggling in school, who are searching for a way to learn and who seek connection. These kids will be left with nothing to meet these needs.
So what is “public edutainment,” really? It’s not just educational programming. It’s publicly funded, freely accessible and intentionally funded by the federal government for children who may not have access to private tutors, iPads or premium streaming services. It teaches empathy, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), literacy, emotional regulation and civic values to everyone. It provides a foundation for understanding the world and their place in society. In a presidency of hate and fear, these programs offer some hope that the future will be brighter.
Comparing the calming nature of these channels to the loud, overstimulating chaos of most commercial networks or social media like TikTok or YouTube highlights how media content today is not meant to distract people from everyday life. PBS Kids taught me how to read. Cartoon Network taught me how to scream. Programs like Nickelodeon Kids used to have great shows like “Dora” and “Yo Gabba Gabba,” but these programs eventually shifted toward slapstick and sensationalism. Public edutainment was different. It was slower, kinder, intentional and better in quality.
That’s why what President Trump is doing is so devastating. The executive order claims it’s about “ending taxpayer subsidization of biased media,” but what it really does is erase access to educational services for millions of kids. The president’s statement declares, “Taxpayer dollars should not fund media that clearly promotes a cultural or political agenda.” But since when was teaching kids how to count, recognize emotions or be kind to others considered a political threat? Never.
The Trump administration is afraid networks like PBS are too “woke” for children and wants to demolish them because being “woke” is equated to being dangerous. It’s funny how teaching people to be kind and considerate human beings is dangerous to children’s education, but the prevalence of school gun violence is not considered a priority.
The U.S. has 54 reported gun violence incidents this year alone in schools. Instead of addressing this very real threat, the Trump administration is focused on attacking networks that don’t fit into its narrow, exclusionary worldview. The real danger isn’t Elmo teaching empathy — it’s our continued failure to pass strong gun regulations. And yet what concerns Trump the most is not children dying in classrooms — it’s a puppet promoting kindness. That’s not just misguided; it’s shameful. To make matters worse, the Trump administration has instilled more book bans, demonstrating the fear of educational materials rather than weapons that can kill.
These actions by the Trump administration are a dismantling of a cultural institution aimed at teaching competency and empathy, qualities that the Trump administration can’t seem to fathom. PBS has been around for over 50 years. It’s one of the few remaining public goods that reaches into every home, regardless of zip code or tax bracket. Even people without cable or streaming platforms can still access PBS Kids on or through the website and app. PBS is one of the only educational resources left that doesn’t require a login, subscription or credit card.
Teaching empathy, inclusion and understanding isn’t indoctrination — it’s basic human decency. Mr. Rogers addressed death, racism and emotions. “Sesame Street” introduced bilingual, disabled and diverse characters. “Arthur” talked about bullying and same-sex marriage.
These programs help kids make sense of real life with compassion and clarity. If that’s “woke,” then I guess it means being a decent person.
If schools in blue states and districts suddenly cut all libraries, there would be outrage. Parents would storm school board meetings, and students would protest. But, when public educational programming gets axed, the reaction is mostly memes and satire, with writers and congressmen making comments offering Elmo a job.
This joke is funny until you realize Elmo is really looking for a new platform because “Sesame Street,” which was being largely funded by HBO and PBS, has a very real possibility of being defunded. HBO had to unfortunately let go of “Sesame Street” as it became too expensive for them to carry on without the supplemental budget from PBS, which as of 2012 was 4 million.
For me, public edutainment was more than TV; it was how I learned to be confident, curious and capable. It taught me that I wasn’t stupid or broken. I just needed a different kind of teacher. If we let programs like “Sesame Street” disappear by failing to fund networks like PBS, we aren’t just losing a show — we’re losing futures.
Mister Rogers, host of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” once said, “Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero to me.” PBS and public edutainment helped millions of children, including me. And they did it quietly, patiently and with love.
So if you care at all about the next generation, you will support your local PBS station, sign petitions and vote for leaders who understand the value of public media because education doesn’t end when school is over. For many of us, it began when PBS came on.
