Kevin Clash, the voice of Sesame
Street's Elmo, has been accused of having sex with a 16-year-old boy.
According to celebrity website TMZ.com,
Clash has acknowledged having sex with his accuser, now 23, but
denied he was underage at the time. He has taken a leave of absence
from the Sesame Street Workshop to defend himself against the
allegations.
“I had a relationship with [the
accuser],” the puppeteer and voice actor said. “It was two
consenting adults and I am deeply saddened that he is trying to make
it into something it was not.”
A representative for Sesame Street said
they were taking the claims seriously.
“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,” the rep added.