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Beloved children's program Sesame Street will return for its 54th season this week. Shockingly though, for the first time in the 55-year history of the show, one of the fulltime cast-members will be absent. The program’s newest character Piggy (formerly Miss Piggy) will be taking an extended break from the show to change gender… again.
As followers of Sesame Street will already be aware, Piggy caused a sensation when he moved into the cheerful neighbourhood of Sesame Street midway through season 53. After a heated adjustment period on set, particularly for the more conservative Muppets such as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, Piggy took to Instagram to announce he would not be returning for at least the first 10 episodes of the new season.
The 60-year-old puppet apologised to his fans and assured them that the filming hiatus would be necessary so he can undergo controversial de-transitioning procedures. In Piggy’s own words, “the doctors need to cut off my wee wee weeeeee weeee!”
An official spokesperson for Sesame Street had this to say in response to Piggy’s bombshell announcement.
Sources close to the day-to-day crew, however, say it’s a different story on set. Rumors have been circulating that many Sesame Street veterans, including some of the fuzzy cast, believe that Piggy muscled his way onto the show. They see the latest development as part of a “pattern of attention-seeking behaviour” from the previously out-of-work Muppet.
These aren’t the first damning accusations against Piggy, either. A quick google search using the performer’s dead-name reveals a problematic past. Piggy’s relationships bear the hallmarks of domestic abuse and coercive control, particularly toward Muppet megastar, and on-and-off lover, Kermit the Frog. The couple’s on screen dynamic in classic scenes is textbook toxic and borderline abusive.
One can only imagine what was going on behind the scenes. Slightly Offensive reached out to Kermit the Frog’s via a Sesame Street showrunner but he had not responded by the time this article was being published. If Kermit does have any tea, his lips are sealed for now.
Some are wondering if this whirlwind of drama will mark the end of Piggy’s long career as a Muppet. Is he destined to suffer the same fate as the Count? The first openly gay Muppet who famously parted ways with Sesame Street when producers refused to greenlight his pitch which saw The Count, counting the number of men he’d been with while at a sexual health clinic.
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