Sesame Street has received a lot of unwanted press this
year. After Presidential
Candidate Mitt Romney unwittingly remarked that he’d shut
publicly funded shows like
Sesame Street down, word that Big Bird was now mortal
enemies with Romney spread
like wildfire. The Obama administration even included a
reference to the children’s show
in a political advertisement.
And now, when the fires had finally died out, another spark
has been sent to rekindle
the media’s interest: 52-year old Kevin Clash, Elmo’s voice
for the past 27 years,
has been accused of having sex with a 16-year-old boy. The
accuser has chosen to
remain unidentified, but is now 23 and says that seven years
ago he and Clash had a
relationship.
Sesame Workshop has confirmed that Clash did violate the
company’s Internet usage
policy, but has found the “allegation of underage conduct to
be unsubstantiated.”
Clash admits that he and the man did have a relationship,
but only as two consenting
adults. Sesame workshop made a statement that said, “Kevin
insists that the allegation
of underage conduct is false and defamatory and he is taking
actions to protect his
reputation.”
Even the accusation of such a thing could prove to be
devastating for the puppeteer,
even if he is proven innocent. As of now, he has chosen to
take a leave of absence to
get matters under control. As for Sesame Street, the show
must go on.
“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, as it has for 40 years.”
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