The View melts down, screams erupt in wild debate on Larry David attacking Elmo: 'It's not a person, Alyssa'

It might be sunny days on Sesame Street, but a hilariously grim cloud of puppet-based trauma swept over The View in an epic, hilarious debate over a recent spat that saw Larry David attack Elmo on Today.

Things got off to a lovely start when moderator Joy Behar momentarily lost her cool after Alyssa Farah Griffin cut her off before the 81-year-old could finish introducing the topic. After Griffin piped up, Behar turned to Sara Haines and mumbled, "Would you let me get through the..." trailing off as Haines put a soothing hand on her colleague.

Behar continued, explaining that "people are outraged" over David's actions — which he subsequently apologized for on Thursday. "It's a puppet, folks. There's a puppeteer with his hand up Elmo's behind," Behar said, though Griffin continued, telling her peers she was "very angry about this," to which Behar quipped, "Oh, stop it!"

Griffin explained that she "grew up in a house where you'd eat your cereal and you'd watch GMA or the Today show before you went to school," and that she didn't feel it was appropriate for David to put his hands on Elmo while children potentially watched.

"It's not a person, Alyssa," Behar said, leaning over the table to make her point. "It's a puppet!"

Haines then cut in to correct Behar: "No, it's a Muppet," she said, laying the foundation for a major meltdown that would occur moments later.

Ana Navarro called David's actions "so ugly," especially given that Elmo appeared on Today — alongside the character's father — to discuss mental health issues.

"He's a comedian, it's on brand" legal expert Sunny Hostin added, though she said she was "surprised Elmo's dad didn't punch [David] in the throat."

Griffin circled back on her prior statement, telling the group that Elmo "used it as a teachable moment to say, 'Ask permission before touching,'" which apparently set Behar off.

"Alyssa, what planet are you on that you think that a 6-year-old is watching the Today show?" Behar asked, prompting Haines to jump in with a defense. "They are wallpaper in homes everywhere. Even if you're not sitting, watching, when your mom says, 'Elmo's on,' [the kids] come out right when Larry David strangles him?"

Behar repeated her recurring argument: "It's a puppet," she said, triggering a series of shouts from Haines. "It's a Muppet! It's a Muppet!" she said, arms outstretched, forcing Navarro to cover her ears.

"Oh my God, don't scream like that. I'm going to punch you," Navarro said before Behar gave up and threw the show to commercial with a curt farewell.

In fitting fashion, while they navigated their war over the legendary puppet/Muppet icon, the ladies of The View were all clad in Elmo-leaning red in support of raising awareness about cardiovascular disease.

There was no word on if Whoopi Goldberg — who has Fridays off — monitored the situation from The Whoopi Goldberg War Room at home.

The View airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC. Watch a portion of the The Great Elmo Debate of 2024 above.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content:

• The View hosts clash in tense discussion on race: 'You can't dismiss my lived experience'
• Barbara Walters told Joy Behar to stop mocking Monica Lewinsky on The View: 'She made me stop'
• Whoopi Goldberg collapses on The View table after cohost brings up Taylor Swift yet again