This question has been bugging me for awhile now...why did they put Ernie's character in a fat suit towards last seasons? What was the reason behind it? Did I miss something? I think it was done in poor taste.

An episode or two was done about Ernie's ballooning weight. George told Ernie that he didn't want him to follow in his mother's footsteps. Ernie's mother was morbidly obese.