Post Malone Joins Elmo for a Lesson in Courage and Kindness

Post Malone joined Elmo and friends for a special that mixes music, important life lessons, and plenty of heart.

The musician is making a special guest appearance in Storm on Sesame Street, a new special premiering Aug. 3 on Netflix and PBS KIDS that teaches children how to prepare for, cope with and recover from extreme weather events.

Malone also lends his voice to the special, performing the original song "A Little Help," a kid-friendly reworking of his hit "I Had Some Help" with Morgan Wallen that highlights the importance of neighbors helping one another after a storm.

In the special, Elmo and his Sesame Street friends prepare for a major storm by learning how to stay ready, be brave and calm their bodies and minds when things feel scary.

"There’s a big storm coming to Sesame Street," the three-year-old furry red monster tells Tango, Elmo’s adopted puppy in the clip, as other familiar faces, including Oscar the Grouch, take cover from the thunder.

When severe weather approaches Sesame Street, Elmo tries to distract his friends with a scavenger hunt, but as the storm grows stronger, he becomes increasingly frightened himself. Along the way, he learns that it is okay to be scared and that fear is an important part of being courageous.

Elsewhere, Cookie Monster and Grover pitch in to help Louie get the apartment ready before the storm arrives, showing that everyone has a role to play when preparing for difficult situations.

Later, Malone, whose real name is Austin Post, joins Elmo and Abby for a heartfelt musical moment, singing, "We can go through something hard / So we’re helping our neighbors, but I know we’ll make it through."

The song becomes the soundtrack for neighbors coming together. Bert and Ernie, along with the rest of the Sesame Street community, collect canned goods for a food drive and help repair the damage left behind after the storm. It is a simple but powerful reminder that lending a helping hand can make even the toughest moments feel a little easier.

After the storm passes, the neighborhood works together to rebuild, with support from Malone and comedian Michelle Buteau, proving that recovery is strongest when everyone pitches in.

The special also marks the launch of Sesame Workshop's new Extreme Weather response initiative, which aims to help children, families and communities navigate hurricanes, floods, wildfires and other increasingly common weather events.

Storm on Sesame Street continues a tradition of helping children understand difficult moments. It builds on the legacy of the beloved 2001 special Sesame Street Gets Through a Storm, which aired following Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy. In that story, Big Bird's nest was destroyed during a hurricane, and the Sesame Street community came together to help rebuild it.

"Extreme weather is now a reality for many families, and young children need support they can understand and trust," Joseph Giraldi, chief operating officer, Sesame Workshop, said in a statement.

He adds, "With our Extreme Weather response initiative, we’re using the power of Sesame Street to help children prepare for what’s ahead, cope with big emotions during moments of disruption, and begin to recover afterward."

Those lessons are becoming more important as extreme weather affects more communities across the country. According to Sesame Workshop, children born in 2020 are projected to experience up to seven times more extreme weather events than those born in 1960. The organization also says one in five Americans has evacuated their home because of extreme weather, while nearly two-thirds of parents reported experiencing at least one such event within the past two years.

With a familiar cast, meaningful lessons, and a little help from Post Malone, Storm on Sesame Street hopes to show young viewers that while storms can be scary, they do not have to face them alone.

Storm on Sesame Street premieres Monday, Aug. 3, on Netflix and PBS KIDS before arriving on YouTube in September.