The voice of Elmo from Sesame Street, Kevin Clash, has taken a leave of absence from the show following allegations that he had sex with an underage boy. Clash denies the allegations.
According to a report by TMZ a 23-year-old man, who claims he and Clash had a sexual relationship 7 years ago, met with Sesame Street lawyers. The man would have been 16 at the time and Clash 45.
The TMZ reports states that Clash admits having the relationship but claims, “… it was between two consenting adults and I am deeply saddened that he is trying to make it into something it was not.”
In a statement Sesame Street Workshop said, “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.”
TMZ reports that the accuser has sought help from Pennsylvania law firm Andreozzi and Associates, which represented one of the victims in the child sex assault trial of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.
TMZ claims that Andreozzi sent a letter to Sesame Street Workshop saying the nonprofit was “trying to discredit the victim in order to protect its employee and the image of one of its most valuable characters,” and arguing that “this approach places greater value on a puppet than the well-being of a young man.”
According to the New York Daily News the law firm is refusing to confirm that it is representing Clash’s accuser.
Explaining the leave of absence Sesame Street Workshop stated, “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.”
The company confirmed that Elmo remains unaffected by the scandal saying, “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.”
