Sesame Street officials: Bert isn't gay

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NEW YORK, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Sesame Street's Muppet Bert is not a homosexual, despite his use of the word "mo" when referring to a hairstyle, show officials said.

"Mo" is slang for homosexual, but it was not a sly reference about gays, a program official said in The Los Angeles Times.

On June 11, Bert tweeted about the premiere of the recent "A-Team" remake starring the Mohawk-wearing actor "Mr. T." In the tweet, Bert said, "ever notice how similar my hair is to Mr. T's? The only difference is mine is more 'mo' and a little less 'hawk.'"

To some, it seemed as if public television's "Sesame Street" was aiming clever, but surreptitious, gay talk directly at them, the report said.

"The people at Sesame Street are way too clever for their own good," said Ed Kennedy, of the gay pop culture site AfterElton.com. He said the tweet came during a week when many cities were hosting Gay Pride celebrations.

"Sesame Street" isn't consciously trying to appeal to gay audiences, said Ellen Lewis, Sesame Workshop's vice president of corporate communications.

"We've always reached out to a variety of actors and athletes and celebrities to appear on the show, and our programming has always appealed to adults as much as children," Lewis said. "Honestly, the idea that anyone would interpret (this season) that way never crossed our minds."