The sex scandals around Elmo keep getting worse and worse. Normally, when Elmo is entangled in something bad, it’s because of a wayward dad abusing an Elmo backpack, a guy in an Elmo suit defending himself, or Katy Perry being too sexy. Now Elmo is the cause of Elmo’s own problems. Well, 52-year-old Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash is. After a second man has come forward to accuse Kevin Clash of having underage sex with him, Elmo is out at Sesame Street.
The first accuser, Sheldon Stephens, stepped forward to accuse Clash of sleeping with him when he was only 16. Stephens later recanted his story after a $125,000 payment, only to reverse field again and recant his recantation. The second man filing a lawsuit against Clash is Cecil Singleton, who maintains that Clash began a sexual relationship with him at age 15. The second accuser was too much for Clash and the parent company of Sesame Street, ending Clash’s 28-year-career as the voice of Sesame Street’s most popular character (with modern kids).
“Kevin Clash has helped us achieve that mission for 28 years, and none of us, especially Kevin, want anything to divert our attention from our focus on serving as a leading educational organisation,” said a statement issued by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street. “Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Kevin’s personal life has become a distraction that none of us want, and he has concluded that he can no longer be effective in his job and has resigned from Sesame Street. This is a sad day for Sesame Street.”
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