Bob and Gordon are no longer a part of the show, which now airs on HBO Watch video
Big Bird may not be "fired," but "Sesame Street" has said so long to three of its longtime human characters -- Gordon, Bob and Luis.
The characters, played by New Jersey residents Roscoe Orman (Gordon) and Bob McGrath (Bob) and Emilio Delgado (Luis), are no longer been a part of the show, which recently moved from PBS to HBO for new episodes and shrunk from an hour to a half-hour, KQED reports. (After premiering on HBO, the episodes become available on PBS.)
All three were released from the show earlier this year, Teaneck resident McGrath, 84, told an audience at Florida Supercon this month. The actor, who played the show's resident music teacher, famously singing "The People in Your Neighborhood," had been with the show since its 1969 debut. Orman, 72, a longtime resident of Montclair, joined in 1974, while Delgado became a cast member in 1971.
"As of this season, I have completed my 45th season this year," McGrath said. "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," he said.
Original cast member Loretta Long, Gordon's wife on the show, will stay, he said. Another longtime cast member, Sonia Manzano, retired from "Sesame Street" in 2015.
The Twitter account for Sesame Street posted a statement on Thursday, refuting the notion that HBO had any hand in the changes.
"Bob McGrath, Emilio Delgado ("Luis") and Roscoe Orman ("Gordon") remain a beloved part of the Sesame family and continue to represent us at public events," the statement said. "To us, and for millions of people worldwide, they are a treasured part of Sesame Street. Since the show began, we are constantly evolving our content and curriculum, and hence, our characters to meet educational needs of children. As a result of this, our cast has changed over the years, though you can still expect to see many of them in upcoming productions. As we've stated previously, Sesame Workshop retains sole creative control over the show. HBO does not oversee the production."
On Twitter, "Sesame Street" fans reacted to the news that the three men would no longer be with the show.
Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.