50 Years of Sunny Days

Sesame Street: 50 Years of Sunny Days is a documentary special produced by Time Studios that aired on ABC on April 26, 2021.

The two-hour special examines the show's efforts to address social issues through its various outreach programs, with a particular focus on the newest characters Wes and Elijah. The documentary also features never-before-seen footage from the shelved episode on divorce.

Interviewees

in alphabetical order

• Zaid Baqaeen (Former Head Writer, Ahlan Simsim)
• W. Kamau Bell (Host, United Shades of America)
• Jeanette Betancourt
• Jill Biden
• Andrea Delbanco (Editorial Director, Time for Kids)
• Gloria Estefan
• Bradley Freeman Jr.
• Anthony Fauci
• Claudia and Makayla Galacia (viewers)
• Rocío Galarza (VP, US Social Impact)
• Whoopi Goldberg
• Sanjay Gupta
• Chris Thomas Hayes
• Hind Jaal (Puppeteer, Basma)
• Christopher Jackson
• Angelina Jolie (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Special Envoy)
• David Kamp (Author, Sunny Days)
• Cady Lang (Staff Writer, Time)
• John Legend
• Peter Linz
• Lucy Liu
• Nowar Mahayri (Puppeteer, Jad)
• Sonia Manzano
• Jelani Memory (Author, A Kids Book About Racism)
• David Miliband (CEO, International Rescue Committee)
• Louis Henry Mitchell
• Olivia Munn
• Alan Muraoka
• Omar, Alisa, and Macayla Norman (viewers)
• John Oliver
• Carmen Osbahr
• Rosie Perez
• Questlove
• Martin P. Robinson
• Shari Rosenfeld (SVP, International Social Impact)
• Marie-Louise Samuels (South Africa Department of Education)
• Kay Wilson Stallings (EVP, Creative & Production)
• Chrissy Teigen
• Rosemarie Truglio
• Nyanga Tshabalala
• Usher
• Jason Weber
• Sherrie Westin
• Stevie Wonder
• Ashmou Younge (Producer)
• Steve Youngwood (CEO, Sesame Workshop)
• Jamal Zaineddin and Samah Ahmad Rajab (Ahlan Simsim viewers)

Concept art for Elijah's family

Naomi
Wes's mother, Elijah's wife

Savannah
Wes's grandmother and Elijah's mother

See also

• Sesame Street: 50 Years & Still Sunny!