We’ve just gotten over a Sesame Street scare with Mitt Romney and the Election, but NOW there are some serious sexual allegations against Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash.

“In June of this year, Sesame Workshop received a communication from a then-23-year-old man who alleged that he had a relationship beginning when he was 16 years old with Kevin Clash, a Sesame Workshop puppeteer who performs as Elmo,” Sesame Workshop said Monday in a statement.

Sesame Workshop took these allegations very seriously and acted immediately by meeting with the accuser, followed by numerous conversations.  Sesame Workshop said that after a “thorough investigation,” it “found the allegation of underage conduct to be unsubstantiated.”

Clash, 52, has been the voice of Elmo for over three decades. He acknowledged a relationship with his accuser but said in a statement that the allegations against him were “false and defamatory.”

“I had a relationship with the accuser. It was between two consenting adults, and I am deeply saddened that he is characterizing it as something other than what it was,” he said.

He then explained that he was “taking a break” from Sesame Workshop to deal with the situation.

This is a very sad story with serious repercussions for Sesame Workshop and Kevin Clash’s future with Elmo. We are happy to hear that the allegations are unsubstantiated and if it isn’t taken to a high court than Sesame Workshop, that speaks volumes.

UPDATE: 

The man who accused Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash of having sex with him when he was a teen now says it isn’t so. In a quick turnabout, the man described his sexual relationship with Clash as adult and consensual.