Ryan Dunn

By ANDREA MAGRATH

He's in heaven: Katy Perry gets flirtatious with a Mr Burns puppet in an upcoming Simpsons episode

Russell Brand must be getting a complex.

First his wife was publicly dumped by Elmo when the scene she filmed for Sesame Street was axed because her revealing clothing was deemed to risque for its young audience.

And now Katy Perry has found comfort in some new furry friends, cosying up to Simpsons characters Mr Burns and Moe.

It appears her racy personality and fashion sense is not a problem for the long-running show's producers.

The singer, dressed in one of her trademark latex dresses, clutches a gobsmacked Mr Burns to her chest in scenes from the upcoming episode, entitled The Fight Before Christmas.

But while she flirts with the millionaire owner of Springfield's Nuclear Power plant, it's actually downtrodden bartender Moe who really catches her eye.

See ya Elmo: Katy is welcomed with open arms by the Springfield residents, who she will lead in a rendition of the 39 Days of Christmas

She's with me: The singer will play the girlfriend of bartender Moe, in the episode called The Fight Before Christmas

In a clear dig at the children's series that axed her, the 25-year-old plays Elmo's girlfriend, who trades the red puppet for Moe, who, judging by these pictures, is clearly smitten with the star.

The Teenage Dream singer doesn't lend her voice to the cartoon, as the the long list of celebrity guests have in the past.

Instead, she filmed a live action segment for the episode, to be aired December 5, with puppets.

Fighting for her attention: Katy is surrounded by the familiar faces in the live action segment, to be aired December 5

Producer Al Jean couldn't resist a tongue-in-cheek statement, declaring: 'In the wake of Elmo’s terrible betrayal, the Simpsons puppets wish to announce they stand felt-shoulder-to-shoulder with Katy Perry.'

The episode has been described as 'an edgy, dysfunctional Christmas with the Simpsons with some disturbing twists.'

Katy will lead Homer, Bart and the whole Simpsons clan in a rendition of 'the 39 Days of Christmas.'

The episode will also feature the voice of Martha Stewart, who appears in cartoon form.

Racy lady: It was another revealing number for the 25-year-old at last night's American Music Awards

More hot competition: Katy also flirted with Justin Bieber at last night's American Music Awards, but judging by Bieber's face Russell has nothing to worry about

The new Mrs Russell Brand also made a racy performance at last night's American Music Awards, wearing another low-cut red number to sing her new track Firework.

Her husband remained by her side throughout the evening, proudly cheering her on during her performance.

Katy's triumphant debut on the small screen was filmed directly after her dumping from Sesame Street in September.

Loved up: Russell and Katy looked very loved-up at the awards, shortly after their wedding

Her Hot N Cold duet with Elmo was banned after her low-cut costume was considered a little too risque for the children's show.

Bosses on Sesame Street admit they were surprised by the reaction to Katy's segment , but insisted she received a lot of support from viewers as well.

'It caught us by surprise,' said Sesame Street executive producer Carol-Lynn Parente.

'We are trying to go after those younger parents that may not have grown up on Sesame Street or seek it out We know how effective Sesame Street is.

'She (Katy Perry) is a wonderful musical talent and we had a great time.

'We would never produce anything that we felt was inappropriate and we were surprised at the amount of feedback and how fast it came in. There was a lot.

Banned! Katy Perry's outfit was too risque for family-friendly Sesame Street

Dumped: The Simpsons producers say that despite 'Elmo’s terrible betrayal, the Simpsons puppets stand felt-shoulder-to-shoulder with Katy Perry'

'Parents trust Sesame Street, we take that seriously and we viewed a lot of the feedback and made what we thought was an appropriate decision.'

But Katy seems to have kept her sense of humour about the whole thing.

'Wow, looks like my play date with Elmo has been cut short!' she Tweeted.

The California Gurls star also poked fun at herself by appearing on Saturday Night Live after the incident wearing a very revealing Elmo T-shirt.