Whether you’re Team Elmo or Team Rocco, it’s safe to say that no pet rock could ever offer up a gem like this.
In Friday’s episode of the popular YouTube interview series “Chicken Shop Date,” host Amelia Dimoldenberg ate nuggets with “Sesame Street” star Elmo (who opted for vegetarian nuggets, because “Elmo has friends that are chickens”).
Towards the end of their date ― actually a playdate this time, per the video description ― Dimoldenberg, who is known for her smart but awkward interviewing style, asked the cheerful Muppet: “Why do you think I’ve been single for so long?”
Elmo came right back with, honestly, some pretty good advice: “Elmo thinks you’re in your head too much.”
“You think so?” Dimoldenberg asked.
“Yeah! You’re a wonderful person,” Elmo said. “You’re kind, you’re funny, you’re smart, you’re beautiful, you know? Just accept love! Very important.”
After this exchange, Dimoldenberg confided in Elmo that she “met someone recently.”
This remark was definitely a wink to “Chicken Shop Date” fans, being that Dimoldenberg’s last interview was with actor Andrew Garfield — and the pair’s chemistry during the segment was palpable. Dimoldenberg and Garfield have flirted with one another a few times on the red carpet, and fans of both have been wanting them to get together for a long time.
“What do you think of them?” Elmo asked.
“Well, I really like them, and I feel like it went well,” Dimoldenberg said. “But I feel like I was in my head again, and maybe I sort of friend-zoned them before we could even begin.”
“Oh, Elmo sorry to hear that,” the Muppet replied gently.
“It was a great date, though,” Dimoldenberg said. “We’ve got a real chemistry ― you know, remember the word I taught you? I don’t know, we’ll see how it goes, but ―”
Elmo, though, wasn’t going to let his new friend take a defeatist attitude, even if she’s working within a challenging dating culture where it’s considered acceptable to simply ghost someone instead of being vulnerable.
“There’s always room for love,” Elmo said.
Although Elmo came off as pretty sage for a 3-and-a-half-year-old monster, he didn’t keep his cool the entire time. At one point, his nemesis, Rocco the pet rock, made a cameo, much to Elmo’s consternation.
“Oh my goodness, Rocco’s here,” Dimoldenberg said a little more than five minutes into the interview.
“No he’s not,” Elmo said with an air of panic.
“Yeah, Rocco’s just right in front of you, Elmo,” Dimoldenberg said, pointing to the rock, who sat on the table, taciturn.
Elmo looked down and let out a frustrated sigh.
“Are you kidding?” he said, looking around the set. “Who brought Rocco?”
To see Elmo work through his complicated feelings about a pet rock, check out the rest of his conversation with Dimoldenberg at “Chicken Shop Date.”