[Update 1:55 p.m.] Kevin Clash has issued a statement saying,"I am a gay man. I have never been ashamed of this or tried to hide it, but felt it was a personal and private matter. I had a relationship with the accuser. It was between two consenting adults and I am deeply saddened that he is trying to characterize it as something other than what it was. I am taking a break from Sesame Workshop to deal with this false and defamatory allegation."
[Posted 12:23 p.m.] The puppeteer who voices Elmo - one of the most adored children's characters in the world - is taking time off from Sesame Street after denying he had an inappropriate relationship with a teenage boy.
Sesame Street Workshop says it found the allegation against Kevin Clash "unsubstantiated," and granted him leave as he takes "actions to protect his reputation."
In June, the workshop heard from a 23-year-old man who claimed that he had "a relationship" with Clash beginning when he was 16 years old, the workshop said in a written statement.
The statement did not use the word "sexual."
"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," the Sesame Street Workshop statement said.
"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."
A representative for Clash had no immediate comment Monday. TMZ reported that Clash said his relationship with the accuser "was between two consenting adults and I am deeply saddened that he is trying to make it into something it was not."
A law firm reported to be representing the accuser had no immediate comment.
Last year, Clash spoke to CNN about the magic of Elmo, a "mirror image" for kids.
Clash, 52, is widely beloved as the high-pitched voice of the iconic furry red Elmo, whom he's been playing since 1984 - and won Emmy Awards along the way.
He was the third Muppeteer to take on the role.
Clash is also Sesame Street's senior Muppet coordinator and Muppet captain, the Sesame Street Workshop says on its website.
A documentary, Being Elmo, focused on his story.
Clash also once spoke with NYC Dads, an initiative of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, about how he worked to spend time with his daughter who lives with his ex-wife outside of Baltimore.
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I'll be honest, this does not exactly surprise me. A couple weeks ago I heard an episode of NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me that featured this man as a guest. During the show, I got the impression that this dude might be kind of creepy. It nearly ruined Elmo for me.
16 is legal in lots of states. This is no big deal. HTH
Elmo knows where you live!
16 is not an adult, the guy was an idiot.
will be interesting if the black/hispanic community will "have his back" and "be in" for him.. maybe he'll get to keep his job after all like Obama
I've known Kevin for more than 20 yrs. He has more integrity than almost anyone else I know! He is not stupid and would NEVER do anything illegal, that's for sure. And, knowing his "accuser", all I can say it that he's a liar and he's looking for money from Kevin. As you can see, Kevin has been found to be innocent of any wrong doing so far, and I hope that any/all further investigations reveal the truth - which is that this lowlife accuser is looking for a cash settlement! This is nothing less than BLACKMAIL BASED ON NASTY LIES!!
The requirement that you learn to count accurately?
Kevin Clash should just come out and say he is gay so that this will all go away. Better yet, say that Elmo is gay and then the media will hail him as a hero.
He did admit to being gay. First sentence of the article.
your PBS dollars at work.
Petreaus- your defense dollars at work.
The majority of comments arguing that a 16-year-old is not an adult are based on the premise that the relationship actually began when the accuser was in fact sixteen. Nothing in the article substantiates that assertion. Couldn't it be that Clash is truthful regarding the adulthood of his accuser when the relationship began and that the alleged lie consists of the accuser saying they got involved much earlier? Why do people assume facts not clearly stated? It saddens me so that reading comprehension in this country is at such an all time low.
....and a relationship between an 18 yr old and a 50 year old male who works with children is okay? I don't care what anyone says the fact that he's 50+ years old, works with children and chooses to have a relationship with somone who was at best 18 yrs old and at worst when he was a minor is major league disturbing.
Yes. Mike. It is legal. You may not like it. But it is legal.
Why would a relationship between a 50 year old and an 18 year old be unacceptable? 18 years old is considered an adult. At what point do you consider someone an adult? I think if you can make the decision to die in a war why can you not decide who you choose to have a relationship with?
Well Mike, looks like the NAMBLA folks are out in full force defending one of their own. There are a lot more pedophiles out there than people realize.
What do they do at the Sesame Street Workshop? Is Elmo the gay voice of kids everywhere? To work in the TV/movie, industry is being gay a plus?
Were the first two voices of Elmo gay men?
Does it matter?
What?! Where is the outrage against the network for attempting to hide his actions? If the man claims it started at 16 then this guy should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. And fair is fair, civil action against the network for trying to downplay his actions should be taken.
If the accuser can provide any evidence to back up his claim that the relationship started when he was 16, then it will become a criminal case. I'm sure they are questioning him seriously about that.
If it started when he was 18, as Clash claims, then the relationship was legal. The network isn't trying to downplay anything; they are standing by their employee's explanation as the truth – after repeatedly interviewing the parties involved. If they aren't convinced that the accuser is telling the truth, why should they have any obligation to denounce Clash? They aren't the police.
Now the Republicans will want to fire Elmo too.
The whole "fire Bigbird" thing was just the media latching on to the comment made by David Axelrod, Obama's strategist, at a press confrence. The media would rather not deal with the boring real issue, Romney wanting to cut funding for PBS.
Uh, no, it is what Romney stated at the first debate.
It spun out of control, but Romney *did* say it.
I freaking watched him say it, along with firing Jim Leher. (Sp?)
IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE WHO IS NOT GAY?
GOD IS NOT PLEASED. EITHER AM I. YEAH, ISAID IT!
Hate to say it but nobody cares if YOU are not pleased.
You have not right to judge only God does.
You better care! God cares! Aint nobody judging. You dont know what youre talking about. It is what it is. God will judge when He reins down fire from heaven on the gay community and others because of their sins. Jesus will save us FROM our sins, not IN our sins. Got that? GET GOD!