Is Cookie Monster now the Veggie Monster ? It was widely reported , starting in the spring of 2005 , that Cookie Monster would suddenly be executing a complete about - face : espousing healthy eating and moderation , trading in his trademark " C is for Cookie " in favor of a new song , " A Cookie is a Sometime Food , " and ( depending on the source ) even going on a diet . Some names rumored for the change included Veggie Monster , Broccoli Monster , and a variety of other vegetables to replace " Cookie . " However , these accounts ( and the widespread uninformed outrage they spawned ) were incorrect in a number of respects . " Sesame Street " poked fun at the media firestorm in a 2006 episode . In a sketch in episode 4115 , Matt Lauer of " The Today Show " confronts Cookie Monster about the rumors that he ' s giving up cookies and becoming a " Fruit Monster " . Cookie Monster refutes the rumor , explaining that he eats the fruit first , and then has cookies for dessert . Cookie Monster also says that the media is always blowing things out of proportion . Cookie Monster had another chance to publicly poke fun at the media when he made an appearance on " Martha " in October 2006 . Martha Stewart spoke to him about eating healthily , catering to the section of the audience made up entirely of young kids . Cookie Monster agrees that he does like to eat healthily , and will eat just about anything . But he ' s not going to change his name to " Brussels Sprouts Monster , " a comment which received a high amount of praise and applause from the adult audience . On the June 19 , 2008 , episode of " The Colbert Report " , Stephen Colbert blamed fruit ' s dethroning of cookies as childrens ' favorite snack food on Cookie Monster ' s abandonment of cookies and newfound love of fruit . Cookie Monster himself appears to explain to Colbert that he has not abandoned cookies , but rather learned to eat them as part of a balanced diet . Although he had many cookie - related episodes in the ' 70s and ' 80s - " Me like the Robert Downey Jr . of cookies " - he explained to Colbert that he always ate other food as well ( " Me not picky " ) . During a in January 2009 , Frank Oz fielded a question about Cookie Monster ' s shift in diet from a member of the audience . Oz replied that he didn ' t buy it , insisting that kids are smarter than to eat cookies for the rest of their life because they saw a character on TV who only eats cookies . Cookie Monster responded to the rumor in a February 2010 tweet , stating " Time to put end to rumors . YES , me eat vegetables . NO , not going to be called Vegetable Monster ! Dis whole thing silly . " Cookie Monster tweeted about his healthy eating again in March 2010 , stating " Maybe you hear rumor that me going on a diet . Not true . Me just eating healthy foods AND cookies . What wrong with dat ? " In August 2010 , Cookie posted a video on his official Facebook fan page saying that he eats three square meals a day , including many circular desserts . In September 2010 , another video was posted , where Cookie names what he ate today : three varieties of cookies and tofu stir - fry . He adds " What ? You think cookie all me eat ? " In the 2010 video " C is for Cookie Monster " , Cookie answers a fan letter about his diet . He states that he eats cookies after fruits and veggies . This scene leads to some inserts involving Cookie Monster and healthy foods . In a 2010 episode , a group of vegetables threaten to leave Sesame Street because they aren ' t treated well . One offender shown is Cookie , who eats piles of cookies instead of a plate of veggies . Chris convinces him to eat them by having him pretend that they ' re cookies . Afterward , Cookie states " But remember , me not Veggie Monster . Me still Cookie Monster . Just for record . Me got reputation to think of . " In a Season 43 episode , Cookie Monster is offered vegetables to eat while waiting for a batch of cookies to finish baking . At every instance , Mario Lopez , appearing as a news reporter , claims that Cookie has become the Veggie Monster . Cookie sings " Me Am What Me Am " to explain that he is still Cookie Monster , even though he does love to occasionally eat vegetables . However , after Cookie eats part of the Sesame Street lamppost , Lopez comes back to report that Cookie is now " The Lamppost Monster . " Cookie Monster made a live appearance at the 2012 TEDMED conference in Washington , D . C . with ultramarathon runner champion Scott Jurek . They spoke at length about how eating more veggies and fewer cookies helps . In a 2017 video for Wired , the " Sesame Street " Muppets respond to popular Internet questions about them and the show . Cookie Monster is naturally asked if he ' s become the Veggie Monster and becomes exasperated when the question comes up repeatedly .