“Sunny days” seem to be a thing of the past as things get real on Sesame Street, including a Muppet living with foster parents because her parents are addicted to opioids.

Sesame Street’s Karli, a green and yellow Muppet that lives with foster parents, reportedly is in state-funded care due to her mother’s addiction, which at one time her character felt was her fault.

The story is nothing short of tragic, and features  a little girl named Salia Woodbury, a real-life example of what Karli is going through.

“My mom and dad told me that addiction is a sickness,” Salia said on the show.

“Yeah, a sickness that makes people feel like they have to take drugs or drink alcohol to feel OK,” the Karli said. “My mom was having a hard time with addiction and I felt like my family was the only one going through it. But now I’ve met so many other kids like us. It makes me feel like we’re not alone.”

“Right, we’re not alone,” Salia replied. “And it’s OK to open up to people about our feelings.”

Woodbury’s parents, Jaana and Sam Woodbury, are currently in recovery for opioid addiction. They have two children.

“When I was going through addiction, I felt extremely alone and isolated. I didn’t have any connection to the outside world,” Jaana Woodbury said. “I think it’s amazing that ‘Sesame Street’ is using their platform to share resources to help other women and fathers.”

According to Fox News, the show has never strayed from tough topics, and opioid addiction is no exception.

There’s nothing else out there that addresses substance abuse for young, young kids from their perspective,” said Kama Einhorn, a senior content manager with Sesame Workshop.

The episode was pre-screened by journalists in the summer, and will air later this year.

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