‘Sesame Street’ Axes Longtime Cast Members Bob McGrath (Bob), Gordon and Luis

WHY DON’T YOU JUST FIRE BERT AND ERNIE TOO? HOW ABOUT BIG BIRD AND ELMO?

What a sad day for Sesame Street and those that have watched the show since its inception. Sesame Street has axed long time cast members Bob McGrath, (a.k.a. “Bob”), Emilio Delgado (who played “Luis”) and Roscoe Orman (“Gordon”) as part of its re-tooling for HBO. Shameful. As reported at The NY Times, McGrath, a member of the original cast in 1969, played the music teacher Bob, and sang some of the show’s most beloved songs, including “People in Your Neighborhood.” His departure leaves Loretta Long, who plays Susan, as the only remaining member of the original human cast. Sad, truly sad. I was actually of that demographic of the original Sesame Street broadcasts. What a great loss and a sad day for the show that some short minded execs think that the original cast members can’t relate to today’s youth.

Sesame Street, the 46-year-old award-winning children’s show, cut three of its most senior cast members earlier this year, according to one of the actors that was released.

At a Q&A event at the Florida Supercon on July 2, Bob McGrath, a.k.a. “Bob,” informed the audience that he, Emilio Delgado (who played “Luis”) and Roscoe Orman (“Gordon”) were all released from the show as part of its re-tooling for HBO.

“As of this season, I have completed my 45th season this year. And the show has gone under a major turnaround, going from an hour to a half hour. HBO has gotten involved also. And they let all of the original cast members go, with the exception of Alan Muraoka — who is probably 20 years younger than the rest of us — and Chris Knowings, who is also young,” McGrath said. (His statement can be heard on the Muppet-centric podcast The MuppetCast, which broke this story.)

According to McGrath, the show will keep Loretta Long, who has played Susan, Gordon’s wife, since the beginning of the show.

McGrath, 84, had been with the Sesame Street cast since the show’s inception in 1969 — one of only two of the original cast members still with the show until this year. Formerly a successful singer in Japan, McGrath sang on many of the show’s early hit songs, such as “People in Your Neighborhood”: