UPDATE
Clash's former accuser now says the relationship was adult and consensual, according to a statement from his lawyers. Clash says he is "relieved that this painful allegation has been put to rest", and will not discuss the matter further. No timetable has been set for his return to Sesame St.Now can we all just forget about the time the Sesame Street Workshop conducted their own investigation into a sexual assault allegation without alerting the authorities and move on? It worked out pretty good for Penn State...
EARLIER
This is the moment innocence dies, isn't it?
Kevin Clash — the puppeteer and voice of Sesame Street's Elmo since 1984 — has denied allegations of 'underage conduct' with a teen, but has been granted leave from the show.
"I am a gay man," a statement from Clash reads. "I have never been ashamed of this or tried to hide it, but felt it was a personal and private matter. I had a relationship with the accuser. It was between two consenting adults and I am deeply saddened that he is trying to characterise it as something other than what it was. I am taking a break from Sesame Workshop to deal with this false and defamatory allegation."
In June, the Sesame Street Workshop heard an allegation from a 23-year-old man who claimed he had a relationship with Clash that began when he was 16 years old. The Workshop launched an investigation — no doubt carried out by Sherlock Hemlock — and found the claim to be "unsubstantiated". However, their investigation "did reval that Keven exercised poor judgement and violated company policy regarding internet usage and he was disciplined."
Regardless of whether the accuser's allegations turn out to be unfounded, can we all take a second to think about the fact that Elmo is really a 52-year-old man who surfs for porn at work? Better yet, let's not think about that.
The Sesame Street Workshop is standing behind Clash, but they sure seem to be leaving the door open for someone to take his place.
"Elmo is bigger than any one person," they said, "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."
Clash is the third Muppeteer to take on the role. He also serves as Sesame Street's senior Muppet coordinator and Muppet captain, and was recently the focus of a documentary, Being Elmo, that chronicled his rise from Baltimore to Sesame Street.
While promoting the film, Clash described himself as having "Peter Pan syndrome", a quote we absolutely can't see being taken out of context and used against him anytime soon.
