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‘Elmo’ puppeteer, Kevin Clash has been accused of a having an inappropriate relationship with a 16 year old male (now 23), 7 years ago. Sesame Street has taken the allegations seriously and begun an investigation. But Clash says he did not have a relationship with the man when he was a minor, they began a relationship when he became an adult. Clash told TMZ, “I had a relationship with [the accuser]. It was between two consenting adults and I am deeply saddened that he is trying to make it into something it was not.” He has taken a leave of absence to clear his name (he claims his is defamatory to his name and is taking legal action).
In June of this year, Sesame Workshop received a communication from a then 23 year old man who alleged that he had a relationship beginning when he was 16 years old with Kevin Clash, a Sesame Workshop puppeteer who performs as Elmo.
We took the allegation very seriously and took immediate action. We met with the accuser twice and had repeated communications with him. We met with Kevin, who denied the accusation. We also conducted a thorough investigation and found the allegation of underage conduct to be unsubstantiated. Although this was a personal relationship unrelated to the workplace, our investigation did reveal that Kevin exercised poor judgment and violated company policy regarding internet usage and he was disciplined.
Kevin insists that the allegation of underage conduct is false and defamatory and he is taking actions to protect his reputation. We have granted him a leave of absence to do so.Elmo is bigger than any one person and will continue to be an integral part of Sesame Street to engage, educate and inspire children around the world, as it has for 40 years.
Clash has played Elmo for the past 27 years.
