Elmo asks the internet 'How are you doing?' Turns out, they’re not doing great.
Elmo checked in with his followers Monday – and now people are pouring their hearts out to Sesame Street's beloved red muppet.
"Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?" he posted on X, formerly Twitter. As it turns out, folks on the internet are filled with anxiety and existential dread and Elmo was the perfect, cuddly friend for some "trauma dumping."
So far, his post has garnered thousands of comments, retweets and likes.
"Elmo, I'm gonna be real with you, I don't think I can keep living like this," commented one X user on Elmo's post. "I feel like Oscar the Grouch in a world of Elmo's."
"Elmo, I just got laid off," commented another. Large companies across multiple sectors, including Wayfair, Google, American Airlines and NBC News, have recently announced layoffs.
More on mental health:To parents of kids with anxiety, here's what we wish you knew
But then something beautiful also happened: posts expressing sorrow began receiving support from other X users.
In response to the person who felt like an Oscar, a user replied: "Oscar the grouch was always secretly my favorite. I think there are a surprising number of Oscars out there, even though many are wearing Elmo masks."
Some people even used Elmo's post as an opportunity to express their worries surrounding politics in 2024.
"Anyone else slowly getting anxiety thinking about this year's election," another user asked.
Sesame Street shares mental health resources in response
The comments became so intense Monday, that Sesame Street's official X account tweeted links to mental health resources.
"Thank you, Elmo, for checking in with a reminder for us to pause and take a mindful moment to focus on how we're feeling," the account replied before adding links to the resources.
Elmo, Snuffleupagus, Cookie Monster and the whole Sesame Street gang banded together to start using the hashtag #EmotionalWellBeing to spread the word about mental health awareness and resources.
All their posts shared the same message and reminded their followers that they aren't alone and there will always be a muppet pal around whenever they're needed.
"Me here to talk it out whenever you want," read Cookie Monster's post. "Me will also supply cookies."
More reactions to Elmo's post
Not every post was expressing gut-wrenching loneliness and dread.
Chance the Rapper, a musician and judge for "The Voice," came into the comment section with some positivity and good news.
"Honestly, I'm in a really good place rn," he replied.
Many of the responses expressed concern about Elmo's reaction to his comment section.
Brands entered the chat too
While Buffalo Wild Wings comforted a Lions fan with BOGO wing deals, Domino's Pizza UK tweeted a photo to encapsulate anyone's worst nightmare.
"Even Domino's (is) trauma dumping," a user commented on the restaurant's post.
And not everyone was happy about companies joining in.
"Dude, we're commiserating with each other here and you're cooking up a marketing opportunity," another said on Domino's post.
Despite the intense comments, Elmo is still glad he asked
The furry red monster tweeted a follow-up post and reminded his followers about the importance of checking in with friends.
"Wow! Elmo is glad he asked! Elmo learned that is important to ask a friend how they are doing," he wrote. "Elmo will check in again, soon friends!"
More mental health resources
Attached to Sesame Street's post is a link that leads to a kid-friendly webpage all about mental health and emotional well-being.
"Children who are healthy in mind, body, and heart can thrive in every way," states the website. "Mental health IS health!"
The website also provides resources in Spanish.
According to their post, Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, launched the initiative in 2023 in response to the growing mental health crisis.
Grown-ups who are struggling with their mental health or emotional well-being can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis lifeline.