Kevin Clash, the voice of Sesame
Street's Elmo, has been cleared of allegations he had sex with a
16-year-old boy.
Clash's accuser, now 23, recanted that
claim on Tuesday, according to a statement issued by his lawyer.
“[H]e wants it to be known that his
sexual relationship with Mr. Clash was an adult consensual
relationship,” the law firm Andreozzi & Associates said.
The reversal came a day after celebrity
website TMZ.com published the claims.
Clash had acknowledged having sex with
his accuser but denied he was underage at the time.
“I am relieved that this painful
allegation has been put to rest,” the puppeteer and voice actor
said through a spokesman. “I will not discuss it further.”
Clash, a 52-year-old divorced father of
a grown daughter, has been the voice of an animated Elmo since 1984.
Sesame Workshop, which produces Sesame
Street, said in a statement that it was “happy that Kevin can
move on from this unfortunate episode.”
According to The
New York Times, Clash had not previously publicly
acknowledged that he is gay.