‘Really Creepy’: Fox & Friends Panel Gets Upset About Pro-Vax ‘Propaganda’ in Big Bird Tweet, CNN Sesame Street Special

The Sunday morning Fox & Friends panel slammed a pro-vaccine CNN special featuring the Sesame Street characters, saying it was “really creepy” to push “propaganda” at children, even as they slammed their rival network’s ratings and expressed doubt anyone had watched the program.

Rachel Campos-Duffy introduced the topic by mentioning “the authoritarianism we see creeping into our society and our culture,” saying that what was “most disturbing is what we’re seeing done to our kids.”

Parents were upset, said Campos-Duffy, about “propaganda about vaccines being not directed at parents” but “directly to the kids in some really creepy ways, including Sesame Street.”

She then cued up a clip of Big Bird interviewing one of his Muppet pals, Rosita, about getting vaccinated during the CNN special. CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is also there chatting with the characters about the benefits of the Covid-19 vaccines “to stop the spread of Covid and keep everyone healthy.”

“That was weird,” reacted Campos-Duffy, saying Gupta “should be talking to mami and papi and not to little kids on this, what looks like a Big Pharma commercial.”

“It’s so creepy!” she added.

Will Cain quipped that it was a “big step up” for Gupta to go from CNN to Sesame Street, and Pete Hegseth replied, “thankfully nobody saw it, CNN has historically low ratings.”

“I wonder what the demo is for 5 year olds watching CNN on a Saturday? Probably zero. Not very effective,” said Hegseth, going on to criticize the “targeting of kids” to get vaccinated.

“No long term studies,” interjected Campos-Duffy.

Cain brought up a tweet posted on Big Bird’s account where the yellow avian said he had just gotten the vaccine and his “wing is feeling a little sore,” but the shot would give him “an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy.”

I got the COVID-19 vaccine today! My wing is feeling a little sore, but it’ll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy.

Ms. @EricaRHill even said I’ve been getting vaccines since I was a little bird. I had no idea!

— Big Bird (@BigBird) November 6, 2021

“The science on risk to kids from Covid is stark and clear,” said Cain. “They’re not at risk to transmit or get seriously sick from Covid.” He also complained about the lack of “long term studies” of the vaccine on children.

The parents of the nearly 600 American children who have died from Covid would disagree with Cain. Children have gotten severely sick from Covid, have been hospitalized, and have sadly even died. The delta variant has been blamed for the increase in hospitalizations among children in recent months.

The complaint about lack of “long term studies” is also a red herring. The Pfizer mRNA vaccine (the only one approved for use in children) works by injecting a copy of the spike protein on the exterior surface of a SARS-CoV-2 virus cell, triggering your immune system to learn to recognize the virus and fight it if it shows up, and the contents of the vaccine dissolve away. There aren’t “long term effects” from this vaccine, or other vaccines that operate in a similar way, because there’s nothing left behind to trigger one.

The panel continued criticizing the Sesame Street “propaganda” and other “weird” efforts by “autocrats” to push pro-vaccine messages, illustrating the ongoing divide on Fox News about vaccines.

On Friday, Cain had voiced similar criticisms against the CNN Sesame Street special before it aired. Campos-Duffy had also been highly critical of efforts to get children vaccinated, along with guest Candace Owens, who went so far as to compare these programs to child predators and the “Hitler Youth.”

In contrast, Neil Cavuto has openly pled with his viewers to get vaccinated, touting the protection the shot had given him when he, as a cancer survivor with multiple sclerosis, tested positive for Covid-19. Cavuto got some hate mail as a result but has been undeterred in his pro-vaccine message.

Fox News has also several PSAs featuring some of their on-air personalities encouraging vaccination.

Watch the video above, via Fox News.