Kevin Clash Resigns As Elmo Puppeteer

The voice and puppeteer behind Seasme Street’s Elmo, Kevin Clash, has effectively resigned from the TV show amid allegations of him have underage sex with a boy, according to an announced from Sesame Workshop. Sesame Workshop released a statement in The New York Times that read:

Sesame Workshop’s mission is to harness the educational power of media to help all children the world over reach their highest potential. 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 organization. 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.

A 24 year old man accused Kevin Clash of having a sexual relationship with him when he was still a teenager, only to recant his story a day later. Kevin Clash joined the Sesame Street cast in 1984 and later invented the Elmo character. He received national attention for the 2011 documentary “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey.”

Isidori Mtabo