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Kermit on Good Morning America

By Phillip Chapman
Courtesy of Good Morning America
May 1, 1998

A last minute addition occurred yesterday as Charles Gibson's "favorite guest," Kermit the Frog, was added to this tribute show as Gibson is returning to reporter work for ABC. Kermit sat at a table reportedly under a stack of phonebooks. Here's the transcript from the three minute interview.

Charles: People always ask me who has been my favorite guest on the program and meaning no disrespect to any man or woman who has been on the show, my favorite is an amphibian... and he has joined... I am so pleased to have Kermit the Frog with us. Kermie.

Kermit: Thank you, ah thank you very much.

Charles: And I wanted you to come because I look up to you so.

Kermit: Oh well you know that doesn't happen very often when your only 2 feet tall. It's great to be a tavern on the green. You know... Sure, my kind of place.

Charles: You know this is a big move for me now, because I am leaving this program that I have loved and you were on TV and you left to go to the movies... you left to come back to television. Long ago you left the swamp. Do you have any advice for me on leaving something you love?

Kermit: Well, you know I was a little homesick when I first left the swamp to go into television but that was before I realized that television is sort of like a swamp. It's sort of hot and muggy and filled with snakes. You know...

Charles: Are there pitfalls to leaving?

Kermit: Well, I think you should never jump into the first thing that's offered to you, that's how I met Miss Piggy. But ah... but seriously you know... take your time, and consider all your offers and don't accept any collect calls from Kenneth Star.

Charles: Well, the frog's doing politics now.

Kermit: Well that's true... well you know.

Charles: Listen, one of the reasons I wanted you to come is because in your early days on Sesame Street first of all, you had an instrumental hand in teaching my daughters to read.

Kermit: Oh really.

Charles: And secondly, you worked as a reporter on Sesame Street.

Kermit: That's true, I still do sometimes.

Charles: I know you do. And you taught my daughters what a reporter does. Oh course they went around telling people I was a "porter" and people thought I worked in a railway station. But the two of them, Jessica and Kate, 25 and 21 now, would like to take a picture with you... Is that possible?

Kermit: Hi there. Oh it's nice to see you both!

Jessica: Nice to see you.

Kate: I'm your height.

Kermit: So I taught you your numbers and letters on Sesame Street. Do you still remember them all?

Jessica: We try.

Kate: Some of them.

Charles: Can we get a picture taken? And my wife, Arlene is gonna take the picture.

Kermit: Hi Arlene.

Arlene: Hi. How are you?

Kermit: Ah, I'm very well to be sitting on phonebooks!

Arlene: Oh, that's perfect.

Charles: That means a lot to all of us Kermie. Thank you very much.

Kermit: Oh you're very welcome Charlie. It's so good to be invited to this show. I love everybody here. It's a great experience to do Good Morning America. (silence from audience...) No, I mean it... the frog can't be sincere?

Charles: Not only does he do politics, but the frog has applause lines too. Thank you very much.

Kermit: Oh it's been wonderful. I'll need you to help me down from here later... (fade to commercial).

Later on Kermit reappeared in a suit and tie, and did a "news" segment that was kind of a roast complete with bloopers from Good Morning America. He joked about not being Chevy Chase. Kermit also appeared at the very end, when there was a musical tribute number, and at one point everyone watched him dance behind the piano during the show's closing moments.