Top 12 of 2012: #11 – Elmo Puppeteer’s Underage Sex Scandal

TOP 12 OF 2012: #11 – Elmo Puppeteer’s Underage Sex Scandal

It was one of our most disturbing headlines for 2012:  Famous Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash became the subject of a sex scandal in November 2012, after multiple young men accused him of engaging in sexual relationships with them while they were still underage.

Clash, the star of the 2011 documentary Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey, was first placed in the hot seat after a young man by the name of Sheldon Stevens claimed that he entered into a sexual relationship with Clash while he was only 16 years old.  Clash denied Stevens’ allegations, and Stevens later retracted his story.  However, days later, Stevens retracted his retraction, and stood by his original allegations – claiming he had been pressured (and paid) by Clash’s lawyers to change his story!

To add fuel to the fire, over the next 3 weeks, a second, third, and fourth individual each stepped forward with similar claims of underage sexual relationships with Clash.   Although each allegation has yet to be verified, public outrage created an unwanted “distraction” for Sesame Street producers, and Clash was forced to resign from the show.  He had been with Sesame Street for nearly 30 years.

The allegations of Clash’s 4 accusers are still under investigation.  Stay tuned in 2013 for the final verdict in this scandal!