No, Sesame Street still won’t officially reveal that Bert and Ernie are romantic partners. (For real though, just make the announcement already! Everyone else is coming out this Pride Month!) But while we’re waiting, a new queer couple recently appeared on the block: Dave and Frank.
The couple made its historic appearance in Sesame Street’s latest episode, “Family Day,” which aired last week. Nina (Suki Lopez) welcomes her family into town: brother Dave (Chris Costa), his husband Frank (Alex Weisman) and the couple’s daughter Mia (Olivia Perez).
The episode was directed by Alan Muraoka, who told People that introducing a gay couple to Sesame Street marked an “important milestone” moment for LGBTQ+ visibility. In the show itself, Muraoka plays the owner of Hooper’s store. Last week, the actor-director took to Instagram to celebrate Dave and Frank’s appearance on the famed block.
“I am so honored and humbled to have co-directed this important and milestone episode,” he wrote. “Love is love, and we are so happy to add this special family to our Sesame family.”
Both Costa and Weisman also posted on Instagram about their appearances on the show. “ I hope Dave, Frank, and Mia warm your hearts. And remember, it’s love that brings families together,” Costa wrote.
Weisman added, “It’s an honor to introduce our family, Dave, Frank and Mia to Sesame Street! As you can see, families come in all shapes and sizes.”
Dave and Frank are far from Sesame Streets’ first queer community members, although as TVLine reports, they are the show’s first family to have two dads. In recent years, the show has taken strides to be more outwardly inclusive of queer people. In addition to Bert and Ernie (maybe? sorta?) being a couple, several LGBTQ+ celebrities including Janelle Monae, Billy Porter, and Ian McKellen have all been told how to get to Sesame Street.
Later in last week’s special episode, country singer Kelsea Ballerini showed up to sing a song about the joy of families, including a reference to families with two mothers.
This most recent acknowledgment of LGBTQ+ families was also celebrated by the media advocacy group GLAAD. Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD president and CEO, tweeted that the episode “sends the simple and important message that families come in all forms and that love and acceptance are always the most important ingredients in a family.”
Okay, now let Bert and Ernie go on a double date with Dave and Frank!
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