The women of “The View” were among those baffled by Ted Cruz’s outrage over Big Bird this weekend, mocking the Texas senator for accusing the muppet of perpetuating “propaganda” on Monday’s show.
In case you missed it, Big Bird tweeted on Saturday that he had gotten his COVID vaccine, along with a few other Sesame Street residents. “Government propaganda…for your 5 year old!” Cruz tweeted in response. As the weekend went on, the Senator seemed to take particular delight in slamming the fictional bird, and the reactions he got by doing so, tweeting an additional popularized gif of the muppet kicking in someone’s door.
So, the women of “The View” took some time to give their thoughts on the matter.
“He clearly, clearly has never watched ‘Sesame Street’ and didn’t do any homework to find out,” Whoopi Goldberg said. “Because Big Bird has been talking to children about immunizations, and all kinds of things. So why you pickin’ on Big Bird man? He’s trying to keep kids safe, and it’s not like it’s an — well, I’m not gonna say it.”
Host Sara Haines noted that it was particularly odd to her that Cruz hasn’t watched “Sesame Street,” considering he’s a parent, while Joy Behar reiterated Whoopi’s point that the children’s program has been encouraging public health measures for years, arguing that Cruz only took issue with this instance because COVID has been so politicized.
“Why die on that hill?” host Sunny Hostin questioned with a laugh. “It was just so surprising to me.”
The women continued to discuss how politicized COVID has gotten, detailing how even they were initially nervous about the vaccine, but got over it. To finish out the segment though, Whoopi Goldberg had a clear message.
“Here’s the thing to remember: this is Big Bird, talking to little kids about getting this shot in their arm,” Whoopi said. “They’re not gonna walk up to the doctor’s office and say ‘Give me a shot!’ A parent has to bring them. An adult has to bring them. But kids need to know what’s happening and why. And that’s what Big Bird does, so leave Big Bird alone!”