GOP lawmakers push to cut PBS funding over Sesame Street’s Pride Month post

Republican lawmakers called to defund PBS after the television station’s long-running children’s show, “Sesame Street,” celebrated LGBTQ “Pride” Month on social media.

The children’s show went viral after it posted a short message on June 1, kicking off Pride Month.

“On our street, everyone is welcome. Together, let’s build a world where every person and family feels loved and respected for who they are. Happy #PrideMonth!” Sesame Street’s X post read.

The post reached over 23 million views and sparked criticism from conservatives, who slammed the kids’ show for turning “woke.”

NPR, PBS HONCHOS FACE TENSE GRILLING BY GOP LAWMAKERS OVER BIASED COVERAGE, TAXPAYER FUNDING

In response, Republican legislators called on PBS, which has been the historical home of Sesame Street for over 50 years, to lose its federal funding. 

“PBS is shamelessly grooming our children while collecting taxpayer dollars. This is evil and should infuriate every parent in America. DEFUND!!” Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., posted to X.

“Federal funds aren’t for grooming. Through Sesame Street characters or otherwise. Defund PBS,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, posted to his personal X account in reply to a video of a 2020 episode of “The Not-Too-Late Show” with Elmo featuring Johnathan Van Ness of Netflix’s “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.”

Van Ness is also scheduled to appear as a celebrity guest on Sesame Street this season.

Sesame Street’s Pride Month post read, “On our street, everyone is welcome. Together, let’s build a world where every person and family feels loved and respected for who they are. Happy #PrideMonth.” (Getty Images)

DEMOCRATS INVOKE CHILDREN’S SHOWS IN BIZARRE DEFENSE OF PBS, NPR: ‘FIRE ELON, SAVE ELMO’

Miller’s office did not immediately return a request for comment asking why they believed “Sesame Street” was “grooming” children with their post.

Lee’s office told Digital the senator has been a consistent advocate of pulling taxpayer dollars from PBS for many years. 

Republicans in Congress have long tried to pull government funding from public media organizations NPR and PBS that they argue are liberally biased.

PBS and Sesame Street did not immediately return Digital’s request for comment.

In March, Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, reintroduced a bill to defund NPR and PBS, saying they have been “pushing Democrat talking points under the fake banner of ‘public media.’”

PBS sued the White House after President Trump signed an executive order calling to slash its taxpayer funding. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images; REUTERS/Nathan Howard)

DEFUNDING PBS AND NPR COULD MAKE THEM EVEN WORSE

President Donald Trump also signed an executive order on May 1 with the goal of eradicating federal funding for NPR and PBS. The order, titled “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media,” called for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) Board to cease direct and indirect funding to the two media outlets.

“At the very least, Americans have the right to expect that if their tax dollars fund public broadcasting at all, they fund only fair, accurate, unbiased, and nonpartisan news coverage. No media outlet has a constitutional right to taxpayer subsidies,” the order reads.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) receives about $500 million annually from Congress to distribute to public radio and TV stations, with some of that funding going to support NPR and PBS.

Republicans in Congress have made several attempts to pull government funding from PBS and NPR over the years. (llison Robbert/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

PBS SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, SAYS EXECUTIVE ORDER CUTTING FEDERAL FUNDING VIOLATES FIRST AMENDMENT

PBS and NPR responded to the executive order by filing lawsuits against the Trump administration in May.

“[In] an Executive Order issued on May 1, 2025, the President declared that government funding of private sources of non-commercial media is ‘corrosive,’ and singled out PBS (alongside National Public Radio) as failing to provide ‘fair, accurate, unbiased, and nonpartisan news,'” the court filing obtained by  Digital reads. 

“PBS disputes those charged assertions in the strongest possible terms. But regardless of any policy disagreements over the role of public television, our Constitution and laws forbid the President from serving as the arbiter of the content of PBS’s programming, including by attempting to defund PBS,” it continued.

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’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.