Kevin Clash, the man behind the voice of Elmo on Sesame Street, has been accused of having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old boy. Clash denies the charges and says they did have sex, but it was consensual.
Kevin Clash has been the voice of Elmo for 28 years is taking a leave of absence from the show. Clash admits to having a relationship with his accuser, who is now 23.
"I am a gay man. 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 characterize it as something other than what it was," Clash, 52, said in a statement.
"I am taking a break from Sesame Workshop to deal with this false and defamatory allegation," he said.
Sesame Workshop officials said in a statement they have investigated the claims and found that the underage sex allegations could not be substantiated.
"Although this was a personal relationship unrelated to the workplace, our investigation did reveal that Kevin exercised poor judgment and violated company policy regarding internet usage and he was disciplined," the company said.
"Kevin insists that these allegations are false and defamatory and he has taken actions to protect his reputation. We have granted him a leave of absence to do so," the statement read.
