Overview

• Riccardo Simonetti, an openly gay influencer and LGBTQ+ advocate, is set to appear on the German 'Sesamstraße' in October 2025, with filming having started in March.
• The announcement of Simonetti's guest role led to a surge of homophobic comments on social media, prompting NDR to close the comment section on its official Facebook post.
• Critics accused the show of 'brainwashing' children, while supporters praised the decision to promote diversity and self-empowerment in children's programming.
• Simonetti has described the hateful comments as a significant mental health challenge, expressing frustration over the premature criticism of his appearance.
• NDR reiterated that 'Sesamstraße' has upheld values of tolerance and respect for over 50 years and emphasized that hateful and demeaning remarks will not be tolerated.