Ramy Youssef Trolls MAGA Backlash to His ‘Sesame Street’ Episode Where Elmo Spoke Arabic: ‘Elmo Saying Habibi Has Set Them Off’

Apr 21, 2026 1:57pm PT Ramy Youssef Trolls MAGA Backlash to His ‘Sesame Street’ Episode Where Elmo Spoke Arabic: ‘Elmo Saying Habibi Has Set Them Off’

By Ethan Shanfeld

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Ethan Shanfeld

@ethanshanfeld

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Ramy Youssef stopped by Sesame Street last week to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month with Elmo — and teach the red Muppet some Arabic words, like “habibi” and “salamu alaykum.”

The comedian’s cute appearance on the children’s program sparked backlash from conservatives including Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo, who said on “The Ingraham Angle”: “I wish ‘Sesame Street’ would stick to teaching kids about letters and numbers and leave the Arabic immersion to someone else. Next, Bert and Ernie will be praying five times a day on Sesame Street facing east.”

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