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Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

FILE - This Aug. 30, 2009 file photo shows Big Bird, of the children's television show Sesame Street, in Los Angeles. Big Bird is endangered. Jim Lehrer lost control. And Mitt Romney crushed President Barack Obama. Those were the judgments rendered across Twitter and Facebook (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)

Big Bird has never been so hot.

"Saturday Night Live," Jimmy Fallon, Piers Morgan, the "Today" show and "Good Morning America" have all asked for appearances from the giant yellow Muppet after he was unexpectedly thrust into the presidential campaign by Republican challenger Mitt Romney on Wednesday. Sesame Workshop says Big Bird is declining all appearances.

During the debate with President Barack Obama, Romney called for cutting federal funding to PBS, even though he said "I love Big Bird." It renewed a long-running debate over subsidies to public broadcasting.

PBS chief Paula Kerger says she "just about fell off the sofa" when the issue suddenly came up. She said that if the subsidy goes, so will some PBS stations.