The debate over whether beloved “Sesame Street” characters Ernie and Bert are actually a gay couple got Michael Rapaport totally hot on Tuesday. Hot under the collar, anyway.
“Atypical” star, author and podcaster Rapaport fired up his social media on Tuesday to weigh in on the debate, saying that Twitter interest in the topic was being fueled by “grown-ass, sick lunatics.”
He also wondered why people are “friend-shaming” the long-running “Sesame Street” characters.
The speculation was reignited anew on Tuesday, thanks to an interview with former “Sesame Street” writer Mark Saltzman.
“And I always felt that without a huge agenda, when I was writing Bert & Ernie, they were,” Saltzman said of the puppets’ sexual orientation, suggesting they are a gay couple. “I didn’t have any other way to contextualize them.”
The debate prompted Sesame Workshop to issue a statement saying, in part, that Ernie and Bert “remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation.”
“You sick f—s, you! You got that?” Rapaport vented of the statement. ” That means that Ernie and Bert aren’t heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, cisgender, bicurious, polysexual, or any of that sh–!”
Rapaport added, “They’re f—ing puppets! It ain’t that serious!”
Serious topic or not, Rapaport was clearly passionate about it in the video posted to his social media.
“They’ve got motherf—ing Ernie and Bert trending on Twitter, because grown-ass, sick lunatics are worried about the sexual orientation of puppets made for teaching and educating children,” Rapaport began his diatribe. “Let Ernie and Bert rest. They’ve been doing this sh– for a long time; they don’t need to be trending on Twitter! Why can’t they just be friends, good friends? Why are you friend-shaming them?”
Watch Rapaport riff on the subject below.
Sorry to disappoint you nutjobs,
Bert & Ernie are puppets & only puppets.
New @iamrapaport is live.#DisRupTiveBeHavior #Bert #Ernie https://t.co/TO557eM4UQ pic.twitter.com/O91GQToiOz— MichaelRapaport (@MichaelRapaport) September 18, 2018