45th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards 2018 Arrivals held at the Pasadena Civic Center in Pasadena, California.
Featuring: Jeannie Mai, Tamera Mowry, Loni Love, Adrienne Bailon of ‘The Real’
Where: Los Angeles, California, United States
When: 29 Apr 2018
Credit: Adriana M. Barraza/WENN.com
Tamera Mowry-Housley is sick and tired of being sick and tired.
After clapping back at people who claim that her husband is a racist this week, she also had an awkward exchange with The Real co-host Jeannie Mai over, of all things, Bert and Ernie of Sesame Street.
It all started when the hosts were discussing the news that a former writer from Sesame Street confirmed that classic characters Bert and Ernie were “a loving couple,” not just roommates, while the Sesame Workshop responded by saying, “Bert and Ernie are best friends.”
The ladies went back and forth about whether or not these two characters being openly gay or not mattered, and if it would have some sort of impact on the children who watch. Here’s what happened:
Tamera: I know that when I was watching Sesame Street as a kid, it was one of my favorite shows. I wasn’t really thinking about the genitalia and what they were doing sexually as a kid. They’re puppets. But as a parent, I’m like, what are you teaching my child? Are you teaching my children how to love one another? Are you teaching my children how to be friendly and create amazing friendships? That’s what really matters. I don’t care if they’re brown, yellow, orange — whatever. What is the message?
At this moment, Jeannie cut Tamera off:
Jeannie: I hear what you’re saying, but I disagree because they do care. And your kids are learning.
Tamera went ahead and cut Jeannie off to respond:
Tamera: At five years old and at three years old, my daughter isn’t thinking —
Jeannie: Let me finish.
Tamera: …Oh ok!
After Jeannie asked her to let her finish, Tamera wasn’t too happy (to the point that Jeannie had to ask her, “What’s wrong?”). She would end up saying that she was speaking from the experience of being not only someone who watched Sesame Street growing up, but also as a mother. Jeannie Mai, notably, does not want children and that was a major reason her marriage to Freddy Harteis ended. With that in mind, the response felt kind of mean.
Jeannie: Let me finish really quick. All I’m saying is, I was that girl. I learned how to speak English —
Tamera: I’m speaking for my kids and my experience, so you can speak from yours.
Jeanie: I’m just saying, Tam. For me, I had to learn from them, too. I learned watching Sesame Street how to speak English, and Bert and Ernie were my best friends. I believed in them and I learned from them, how to have a healthy and happy relationship. I learned how that relationship works. So when Sesame Street says they’re not gay, it says to me that being gay is not OK. That’s the problem. That’s the problem with this situation.
For some reason, The Real didn’t share that clip on YouTube (as they do most segments), but you can see part of the exchange below. While Tamera has had quite the feisty start to Season 5 premiere week, the good news is, Tamera and Jeannie were all friendly and good vibes for Thursday’s show. No hard feelings — just serious opinions:
