Whether or not Sesame Street will survive as a result of the Trump administration's $54 billion budget cuts to programs like PBS, watching this video of Elmo getting "fired" is downright devastating.
The viral video — it's unclear whether it's affiliated with PBS — shows poor Elmo getting laid off by a stern off-camera voice.
"Elmo... It does me no great joy to inform you that due to recent cuts in government funding to PBS, you are no longer employed by Sesame Street Workshop," a man's voice tells the squeaky puppet.
Elmo is confused. "Just like that?! Elmo's been working at Sesame Street for 32 years!" He sputters for a bit. The voice insists: "Elmo, the Trump administration is cutting ALL arts and education funding from the new congressional budget."
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"But Elmo's rent just went up!"
When the voice suggested that Elmo might as well get a job taking pictures with tourists in Times Square, our hearts shattered into a million pieces.
What happens at the end of the video is unspeakably cruel – you'll just have to watch it, here:
The message at the end implores viewers to support PBS and call their local representatives. While Sesame Street is now on HBO, obviously not everyone can afford cable so many people still watch the reruns, which air on PBS. (PBS receives funding to produce the show through a partnership with HBO).
The proposed new federal budget scraps all funding for public broadcasting. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting received $445 million in federal funding in the last fiscal year, which accounts for a tiny portion of government spending and asks for just over $1 a year from taxpayers.
In a statement, Patricia Harrison, CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, said this decision would result in "the collapse of the public media system," adding that "there is no viable substitute for federal funding that ensures Americans have universal access to public media's educational and informational programming and services."
A few days ago, Jimmy Kimmel made a parody on the same topic in which Big Bird gets the boot, too.
Like The Simpsons, Sesame Street was on to Donald Trump a long time ago: In 2005, it ran an episode featuring "Donald Grump," who fired Elmo from being his apprentice even though Elmo did a great job. The episode's lesson was, "Don't be greedy."