Man who accused Elmo puppeteer of teen sex recants
NEW YORK (AP) - A man who accused Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash of having sex with him when he was a teenage boy has recanted his story.
In a quick turnabout, the man on Tuesday described his sexual relationship with Clash as adult and consensual.
Clash responded with a statement of his own, saying he is "relieved that this painful allegation has been put to rest." He had no further comment.
The man, who has not identified himself, released his statement through the Harrisburg, Pa., law firm Andreozzi & Associates.
Sesame Workshop, which produces "Sesame Street" in New York, soon followed by saying, "We are happy that Kevin can move on from this unfortunate episode."
The whirlwind episode began Monday morning, when Sesame Workshop startled the world by announcing that Clash had taken a leave of absence from "Sesame Street" in the wake of allegations that he had had a relationship with a 16-year-old.
Clash, a 52-year-old divorced father of a grown daughter, swiftly denied the charges of his accuser, who is in his early 20s. In that statement Clash acknowledged that he is gay but said the relationship had been between two consenting adults.
Though it remained unclear where the relationship took place, sex with a person under 17 is a felony in New York if the perpetrator is at least 21.
Sesame Workshop, which said it was first contacted by the accuser in June, had launched an investigation that included meeting with the accuser twice and meeting with Clash. Its investigation found the charge of underage conduct to be unsubstantiated.
Clash said on Monday he would take a break from Sesame Workshop "to deal with this false and defamatory allegation."
Neither Clash nor Sesame Workshop indicated on Tuesday when he might return to the show, on which he has performed as Elmo since 1984.
Elmo had previously been a marginal character, but Clash, supplying the fuzzy red puppet with a high-pitched voice and a carefree, child-like personality, launched the character into major stardom. Elmo soon rivaled Big Bird as the face of "Sesame Street."
Though usually behind the scenes, Clash meanwhile achieved his own measure of fame. In 2006, he published an autobiography, "My Life as a Furry Red Monster," and he was the subject of the 2011 documentary "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey."
He has won 23 daytime Emmy awards and one prime-time Emmy.
In a quick turnabout, the man on Tuesday described his sexual relationship with Clash as adult and consensual.
Clash responded with a statement of his own, saying he is "relieved that this painful allegation has been put to rest." He had no further comment.
The man, who has not identified himself, released his statement through the Harrisburg, Pa., law firm Andreozzi & Associates.
Sesame Workshop, which produces "Sesame Street" in New York, soon followed by saying, "We are happy that Kevin can move on from this unfortunate episode."
The whirlwind episode began Monday morning, when Sesame Workshop startled the world by announcing that Clash had taken a leave of absence from "Sesame Street" in the wake of allegations that he had had a relationship with a 16-year-old.
Clash, a 52-year-old divorced father of a grown daughter, swiftly denied the charges of his accuser, who is in his early 20s. In that statement Clash acknowledged that he is gay but said the relationship had been between two consenting adults.
Though it remained unclear where the relationship took place, sex with a person under 17 is a felony in New York if the perpetrator is at least 21.
Sesame Workshop, which said it was first contacted by the accuser in June, had launched an investigation that included meeting with the accuser twice and meeting with Clash. Its investigation found the charge of underage conduct to be unsubstantiated.
Clash said on Monday he would take a break from Sesame Workshop "to deal with this false and defamatory allegation."
Neither Clash nor Sesame Workshop indicated on Tuesday when he might return to the show, on which he has performed as Elmo since 1984.
Elmo had previously been a marginal character, but Clash, supplying the fuzzy red puppet with a high-pitched voice and a carefree, child-like personality, launched the character into major stardom. Elmo soon rivaled Big Bird as the face of "Sesame Street."
Though usually behind the scenes, Clash meanwhile achieved his own measure of fame. In 2006, he published an autobiography, "My Life as a Furry Red Monster," and he was the subject of the 2011 documentary "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey."
He has won 23 daytime Emmy awards and one prime-time Emmy.
I, for one, am happy that this whole mess is likely over. Kevin has done some great things for children worldwide and hopefully he can resume his career bringing children joy as Elmo. This was just a sad story all around.
I would love to know how big of a check was cut before these allegations went away...
Thank God that's over! No one should have to go through what Kevin has. Kevin, take some time off to recover. I feel a little sorry for his accuser though. I hope he gets the help he so obviously needs.
I wonder if he got any hush money first for recanting since that was what this was all about in the first place. Â
Today's episode is brought to you by the number 17, the letters F and U, and the word slander.
Â
Absolutely not surprised by this outcome. I had reserved my public judgement yesterday but this had "lovers quarrel" or "spurned lover" revenge written ALL OVER IT when it came out. If it were me, I would sue - and I'm not a sue crazy person. The allegations alone may have destroyed Clash's career as it is.
Good news. Tickled to hear it.
As I stated in the previous article- I never doubted his innocence.
Â
Â
Another example of why "innocent until proven guilty" is so important, even in the public eye......one malicious accusation is all it takes to destroy a good man's life.
 @dg54321 It's doubly important in rape cases in my eyes. Physical proof of rape (videotape, semen samples, etc) is very often difficult to come by. Rape is one of the few crimes in this country that a person can be accused of that quite often comes down to "s/he said s/he said" and character assassination. The law is all to often overwhelmingly on the victim's side (shield laws, etc), that can make it all but impossible to defend against.
Â
I do NOT mean to devalue the horrible circumstances that many rape victims endure. However, justice is not served by ignoring the rights of the accused.
 @dg54321 I wish the people who pigpiled on Brother Karl Walczak would say the same thing.
@dg54321 And even though the accuser has recanted, the damage has been done.
 @Surveyor1  @dg54321 Exactly....how many false rape accusations have come out in recent years against innocent men? How many false DV claims are made regularly to get an upper hand in family court? It devalues all actual claims of rape/DV....and destroys good men for the pathetic tantrums of a perpetual child. And people wonder why the suicide rate for men is so high....,standards of proof should be HIGHER than normal in cases like this because of the overwhelming emotional response to an accusation like this from the public.