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  • Fourth Elmo Accuser Comes Forward, Files Suit

    Kevin Clash, the longtime voice of “Sesame Street” character Elmo, can now add a third lawsuit onto the list of legal battles he’s facing after a fourth accuser came forward recently.

    Clash was initially the recipient of some nasty allegations back in early November, when a man accused him of underage sexual relations; that man eventually recanted his story, then said he’d only recanted because he was pressured to do so. He later settled for an undisclosed amount to stay out of court.

    But since then, two more men have come forward with eerily similar stories of how Clash invited them to New York after meeting on sex lines or sites and knowingly began “grooming” them for sexual relationships despite their age, paying their expenses and treating them to fancy dinners. Now, the fourth accuser states in his lawsuit that “Kevin Clash knowingly paid to transport a minor across state lines for the purpose of satisfying his sexual interests.”

    Clash took a leave of absence from “Sesame Street” after the first accuser came forward, then eventually resigned; he has so far declined to comment on the subsequent accusations.

  • Third Elmo Lawsuit Sounds Familiar

    A third man has come forward with allegations that the man behind Elmo’s voice, Kevin Clash, had a sexual relationship with him when he was 16 years old. Now 28, the man–who is simply going by the name John Doe in legal documents–says he met Clash on a gay chat line in 2000 during a trip to New York, which is a familiar story; the second man to come forward with underage sex allegations said he met the voice actor on a gay sex line in the ’90s when he was a teen.

    As with the second accuser, the newest addition to the series of lawsuits says he was given alcohol and “groomed” to be Clash’s lover, and the two continued a sexual relationship after the man turned 18.

    “When John was just 16 years old and attending high school, he traveled to the New York area for modeling opportunities,” the accuser’s attorney, Jeff Herman, said in the lawsuit. “At 16 years old, John went on a gay chat line to meet friends who were also gay. John specifically stated his intention on the chat line as non-sexual. John was contacted through the chat line by Kevin Clash. Kevin Clash said his name was Craig and he was 30 years old. Kevin Clash was approximately 40 years old at the time.”

    After the first accuser began taking legal action, Clash took a leave of action from “Sesame Street”, where he’s been the voice of Elmo for 28 years. The subsequent allegations, however, have forced him to resign. He stated publicly that he wouldn’t discuss the case–or any other–and considered the matter closed when the first accuser recanted his story and said the two of them had a relationship after he turned 18. He later said he was pressured into recanting, though, and reclaimed his original allegations.

  • Elmo Puppeteer Resigns: Is Elmo Done For?

    Kevin Clash, the voice behind Sesame Street’s most popular character, has now resigned from his post after a second accuser came forward with allegations of underage sex.

    The first round of claims came last week, when a 23-year old male model accused Clash of having an inappropriate relationship with him when he was just 16. Clash maintained that it was a consensual relationship and that the other party was 18 when it occurred, and the man later recanted and took a settlement from the voice actor. However, he’s now come forth to say he was badgered into taking back his story in order to put an end to the matter, and still stands by his original claims.

    Now, a second accuser has made claims that Clash “groomed him to gain his trust by, among other things, taking him to nice dinners and giving him money.” He says the two met on a phone-sex chat line when he was just 15, and that Clash knew how old he was at the time. He is allegedly suing Clash for $5 million in light of last week’s scandal.

    After the news of these allegations blew up in the media, Clash made a brief statement saying he considered the matter closed due to his settlement payout and wouldn’t discuss it any more. He took a leave of absence last week from Sesame Workshop, but it has been reported today that he has officially resigned, leaving parents in shock. Speculation as to what will become of Elmo’s character has been all over the web; Sesame Workshop has quite a conundrum on their hands, as Elmo is their most popular–and money-making–character. If the company chooses to continue the character with another voice actor, parents and fans who are aware of the scandal may be offended enough to stop watching. If they phase Elmo out, however, they will be losing a huge part of their identity, which could cost them big.

    Sesame Workshop issued a statement about the ensuing scandal, expressing concern for the stories becoming bigger than the company.

    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.

  • Elmo Sex Scandal: Actor Battles Accusations

    Kevin Clash, the man behind the voice of one of Sesame Street’s most iconic characters, is battling accusations of underage sex with a teen boy. He has temporarily left the show, leaving room for all sorts of salacious rumors and suspicions.

    The accuser, who is now 23, claims that Clash had sex with him when he was just 16 and has hired a legal team famous for representing one of Jerry Sandusky’s victims. Clash, however, insists that the boy was of legal age and that it was a “relationship between two consenting adults”.

    “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 said.

    Obviously, the accusations leveled against Clash are extremely serious, and Sesame Workshop says they are taking actions to ensure the protection of their employee, but the accuser says they are doing more to protect Elmo’s good name than they are to protect a victim of sexual abuse. The company issued a statement about the allegations and have allowed Clash to take a leave of absence.

    In June of this year, Sesame Workshop received a communication from a young man who alleged that he had a relationship with Kevin Clash beginning when he was 16-years-old. This was a personal relationship, unrelated to the workplace. We took the allegation very seriously and took immediate action….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.

    Image: SesameStreet.org

    *UPDATE* The accuser and alleged victim has recanted his story, saying that he was indeed of age and was a consenting adult when he and Clash had a relationship. Reports say a settlement is being worked out in the lawsuit, and Clash says he’s done talking about it.

    “I am relieved that this painful allegation has been put to rest. I will not discuss it further,” he said.