Remember when a broadcast of Muppet Family Christmas ended with a nightmare Nightline report? We do

Any true blue Henson Head knows that if you ever wanted to rewatch A Muppet Family Christmas in its entirety after its initial broadcast in 1987, you had to tape it yourself on ABC. Once it was released on home video, many of its best musical moments were omitted due to rights issues: Fozzie Bear duetting “Sleigh Ride” with his new snowman sidekick, the Muppet Babies—in live action!—sweetly singing “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” the list goes on.
But as 2020 continues to remind us, all good things come at a terrible price. News of a coronavirus vaccine is accompanied by rising death tolls. A new president is preceded by a cloud of stinky fast-food farts. And the Muppets’ caroling medley is cut short by the harvesting of organs from sick infants.
In a viral clip from a bygone airing of the special shared on Twitter by Late Night With Seth Meyers writer Mike Scollins, the epic finale of the special ends happily enough, with beloved characters from The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, and Fraggle Rock singing “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” in the living room of a farmhouse owned by Fozzie Bear’s mother. The music ends and they all do that Muppet thing where they nod rapidly in satisfaction while looking around at each other. But then, as soon as the credits roll, the festivities are interrupted by a Nightline report from Dr. Timothy Johnson. He’s no Muppet, and the things he says were not meant for sweet Muppet ears.
See for yourself: