Reneé Rapp serenades Elmo and Cookie Monster in surreal Sesame Street trailer
Season 55 of Sesame Street will air on 16 January. (PBS/Sesame Street)
A new trailer for Sesame Street’s 55th season features a special queer guest star singing about her feelings: Reneé Rapp.
“Snow Angel” singer and Mean Girls actress Rapp appears in the trailer with the beloved Cookie Monster, Elmo, and Abby Cadabby.
In the clip, Rapp sings: “Everybody has feelings, feelings inside them. Feelings are real so let them show. It’s okay, there’s a way to show your feelings. To really feel your feelings, every day.”
“Music can help when you have all kinds of feelings,” Elmo points out later in the clip, while Cookie Monster says that “doing new things makes [him] feel really nervous”.
The upcoming season, which will air on HBO Max on 16 January, is said to focus on lessons in emotional well-being, including expressing feelings, practicing mindfulness, and building on resiliency. Rapp’s ode to emotional transparency is perfectly fitting then, if a little surreal.
Rapp will be appearing on the show itself, though it’s unclear which specific episode she will be a part of. However, she’s not the only high-profile guest star to sing with Elmo.
Artists SZA, who previously appeared on Sesame Street in 2024, Samara Joy, Noah Kahan, and Chris Stapleton are all going to feature in the new season.
Michael B. Jordan, Billie Jean King, and non-binary Queer Eye expert Jonathan Van Ness will also be making an appearance.
Elmo told the Associated Press that he was extremely excited for the new series, and the star-studded lineup.
“There’s a lot to learn from music – yeah, timing and harmonies and melody and different styles and different cultures. It’s really cool!
“We’ve got a lot of wonderful people come and do some music with us on Sesame Street, like Miss Reneé Rapp and SZA! Chris Stapleton, Noah Kahan, Samara Joy — lots of great people!
“Elmo was feeling really, really happy after his playdate with Miss Reneé. It was a really beautiful song. She’s got a great voice and Elmo hopes she comes back soon,” he continued.
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