The man who claimed he had
underage sex with the puppeteer behind "Sesame Street" character Elmo
recanted his claims on Tuesday, U.S. media reported.
The unnamed man, now 23, had
claimed that Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash had a sexual relationship with him when
the accuser was 16 years old, potentially engulfing one of the biggest
childhood brands in an underage sex scandal.
"He wants it to be known
that his sexual relationship with Mr. Clash was an adult consensual
relationship," the law firm Andreozzi and Associates, who represent the
man, told U.S. media outlets in a statement.
Clash, 52, who had denied the
allegations, said in a statement obtained by Reuters on Tuesday: "I am
relieved that this painful allegation has been put to rest. I will not discuss
it further."
New York-based Sesame Workshop
said on Monday that its own inquiry had concluded that the claims of underage
sexual conduct against Clash were unsubstantiated.
"We are pleased that this
matter has been brought to a close, and we are happy that Kevin can move on
from this unfortunate episode," Sesame Workshop said in a statement on
Tuesday.
Clash, 52, the voice of Elmo
for nearly three decades, had acknowledged a past relationship with his accuser
but said on Monday the pair were both consenting adults at the time. He termed
the allegations "false and defamatory."
"I am a gay man. I have
never been ashamed of this or tried to hide it," Clash said on Monday,
saying he was taking a break from the TV show to deal with the situation.
Sesame Workshop said the
allegations involving Clash came to its attention in June when the accuser
first contacted the company by email. A company executive said it had found
"absolutely no evidence that the allegations were true."
The Elmo character debuted on
"Sesame Street" in 1979. While Clash was the third performer to
animate the child-like shaggy red monster, Sesame Workshop credits him with
turning Elmo into the international sensation he became.
(Reporting By Eric Kelsey and
Piya Sinha-Roy, editing by Jill Serjeant and Cynthia Johnston)
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