Kevin Clash, the gay performer behind Sesame Street’s Elmo, has taken a leave of absence from Sesame Street, following claims from a former lover that he was underage when he and Kevin first became intimate. Clash has admitted to TMZ that a physical relationship did take place, but denies the man was underage when it happened.
The unnamed man is now 23 and claims the relationship took place when he was 16 (the age of consent varies from state to state, ranging from 16 to 18). Clash has this isn’t true and that, “I am deeply saddened that he is trying to make it into something it was not.”
Sesame Street seems relatively supportive of Clash, releasing a statement that reads, “We took the allegation very seriously and took immediate action. We met with the accuser twice and had repeated communications with him. We met with Kevin, who denied the accusation. We also conducted a thorough investigation and found the allegation of underage conduct to be unsubstantiated. Although this was a personal relationship unrelated to the workplace, our investigation did reveal that Kevin exercised poor judgement and violated company policy regarding Internet usage and he was disciplined.”
It adds, “Kevin insists that the allegation of underage conduct is false and defamatory and he is taking actions to protect his reputation. We have granted him a leave of absence to do so. 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.”
It’s unclear when or indeed Clash will return. He has been the voice and puppeteer for Elmo for the past 28 years. Kevin’s story and work was chronicled in the recent feature-length documentary, Being Elmo.
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