Sesame Street marked Arab American Heritage Month on Thursday with a special appearance by Egyptian-American comedian and actor Ramy Youssef, who joined the show's beloved character Elmo in a short segment celebrating Arab identity. In a playful exchange that has since gone viral, Youssef taught Elmo a series of Arabic words, including "salam" and "habibi", highlighting Arabic language and culture as heritage month celebrations continue throughout April. In the clip, he explains that "assalamu alaykum" is a greeting that conveys a wish of peace and is widely used across Arabic-speaking communities.

One of the standout moments comes when Elmo learns another word of the day, "habibi", which Youssef describes as a term for a "special friend". During the segment, Youssef also expresses pride in his Arab heritage, underscoring the significance of Arab American Heritage Month. By the time of publication, the video had attracted nearly 3 million views on Instagram, and more than 7 million on X.

Viewers praised the segment's blend of cultural representation with the show’s trademark warmth and joy. Love coach and writer Arnie Rozah Krogh shared a post on X in support of the segment, writing: "Thank you for this team @sesamestreet. I grew up in the 70’s enjoying the Sesame Street crew far away in Asia and then my Gen Z kids grew up watching it in Europe.

"The language of friendship doesn’t change. Habibi, guapa, sayang.. when we love our friends, we give them respect of the highest order." Others said the celebration of Arab American culture will likely rile some in the MAGA crowd.

Efforts to recognise and celebrate Arab American heritage date back several decades, according to the Arab American Institute. The first congressional resolutions were introduced in the 1980s, including a joint resolution in the 101st Congress that designated 25 October 1989 as "National Arab-American Day". In 2022, then US President Joe Biden became the first president to issue an official statement celebrating Arab Americans, and in 2023 April became Arab American Heritage Month.

Meanwhile, Sesame Street has become a fixture in Arab children’s entertainment, expanding its global reach through international co-productions, including Ahlan Simsim in the Middle East. Launched in 2020 on the Saudi media network MBC, the programme features Arabic-speaking Muppets such as Basma and Jad. The US version of Sesame Street followed Iftah Ya Simsim, a Kuwaiti production that ran from 1979 to 1990 and was broadcast across several Arabic-speaking countries.