Kevin Clash, the puppeteer who’s been doing the voice of Elmo since 1984, has resigned from Sesame Street as a second accuser has come forward accusing him of underage sexual relations. All this comes as the first accuser has retracted his initial retraction, saying he was pressured into issuing a retraction after being offered a hefty settlement. The second accuser, Cecil Singleton, says that Clash “trolled gay telephone chat line rooms to meet and have sex with underage boys” and would woo them with financial gifts and dinners. Sesame Street released this statement in response to Clash’s resignation.
Sesame Workshop’s mission is to harness the educational power of media to help all children the world over reach their highest potential. Kevin Clash has helped us achieve that mission for 28 years, and none of us, especially Kevin, want anything to divert our attention from our focus on serving as a leading educational organization. Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Kevin’s personal life has become a distraction that none of us want, and he has concluded that he can no longer be effective in his job and has resigned from Sesame Street. This is a sad day for Sesame Street.
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