+34
Exec Sherrie Westin was credited with singlehandedly saving her team’s lives in the feat.
Page Six has learned that a media CEO worked 48 hours straight to rescue a busful of “ Sesame Street ” cast and crew who were stranded in Kabul when theExec Sherrie Westin was credited with singlehandedly saving her team’s lives in the feat, later dubbed “Operation Big Bird,” it has been revealed.
Sherrie Westin speaks at the Literacy Partners 40th Annual Gala at Pier Sixty in NYC on June 8, 2026. An Afghan version of the show, “Baghch-e-Simsim,” had been airing in the nation since 2011, and had become a massive hit with the Afghan people — so much so that it is said that the production had become a target for the Taliban, which despised it because it was teaching young girls to read.
We’re told that by 2017, over 80% of children with access to TV were watching the program, about 3 million kids. At that time, 60% of youngesters in the country – two-thirds of them girls – were unable to complete school, so the show was a critical tool in filling that void. As well as many of the characters beloved by American kids, the show followed Zari, a 6-year-old girl Muppet, and her 4-year-old brother Zeerak.
Amid the memorable scenes of Americans and Afghans alike desperately trying to flee the country during President Joe Biden’s chaotic withdrawal, the “Sesame Street” team — including the nine-months-pregnant puppeteer behind Zari — boarded a bus and headed to Kabul airport. An Afghan puppeteer holds a muppet named “Zari” for a television program on April 10, 2016.
A US Marine pulls an infant over a barbed wire fence during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 19, 2021. As well as many of the characters beloved by American kids, the show followed Zari, a 6-year-old girl Muppet, and her 4-year-old brother Zeerak. We’re told “Sesame Workshop” CEO Westin, based in the US, spent 48 hours straight liaising with the highest levels of the US military to save their lives.
. While we’re told that Westin refuses to accept credit for the mission, military figures have claimed she’s responsible for the team being alive today.
The saga was revealed this week by filmmaker Perri Peltz while she was presenting the Champions of Literacy award to Westin at the Literacy Partners gala at Pier 60. Peltz says she’s in the process of making a documentary about the episode. Sherrie Westin speaks at the Literacy Partners 40th Annual Gala at Pier Sixty in NYC on June 8, 2026. An Afghan puppeteer holds a muppet named"Zari" for a television program on April 10, 2016.
A US Marine pulls an infant over a barbed wire fence during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 19, 2021. As well as many of the characters beloved by American kids, the show followed Zari, a 6-year-old girl Muppet, and her 4-year-old brother Zeerak.
Scratch the next story
Society Exclusive Military Rescue Sesame Street Sesame Workshop
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
5 Restaurant Chains With the Best Early Bird Specials, According to DinersFrom LongHorn to Texas Roadhouse, diners share the best restaurant chains for affordable early bird specials.
Read more »
Brood X Cicadas Could Cause a Bird Baby BoomBillions of emerging insects will likely trigger predator population surges—but some species mysteriously opt out of such bounties
Read more »
The magic and mayhem of a fully reopened Highway 1 through Big SurYour morning catch up: Big Sur's big summer, what to know about World Cup-related scams and more big stories.
Read more »
Exclusive: Iran sealed uranium cache and placed mines amid fears of US operation to seize materialIn recent weeks, Iran has dramatically escalated efforts to seal off its cache of near bomb-grade uranium, deliberately collapsing tunnels and booby-trapping entrances with explosive mines, according to five sources familiar with US intelligence.
Read more »