--- description: Kevin Clash, the voice of everyone’s favorite ticklish red puppet, resigned from Sesame Street amid allegations of sexual abuse, but the case was dismissed and recently upheld due to "statute of limitations," an attorney for one of the accusers said title: Elmo’s Voice Cleared of Sex Abuse Charges image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt39a09ca8431d6ab2/69868c23adae441f1a542b90/133596666.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Elmo's Voice Cleared of Sex Abuse Charges  by [Denver Nicks](/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 23, 2014 10:50 PM CUT  Puppeteer and creator of Elmo, Kevin Clash visits the Apple Store Upper West Side on Nov 20, 2011 in New York City. Puppeteer and creator of Elmo, Kevin Clash visits the Apple Store Upper West Side on Nov 20, 2011 in New York City.Wendell Teodoro—WireImage/Getty Images  by [Denver Nicks](/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 23, 2014 10:50 PM CUT The man who for decades gave voice to the Sesame Street character Elmo will no longer [face](http://www.people.com/article/kevin-clash-cleared-sexual-abuse "undefined") three charges of sexual abuse after an appeals court threw out the cases. Kevin Clash, 53, was [accused](http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/11/21/kevin-clash-what-you-need-to-know-about-elmos-embattled-puppeteer/ "undefined") by multiple men of abusing them 10 years earlier. The U.S. Court of Appeals concurred with a New York judge’s decision to dismiss the cases last summer. “The case was dismissed because of the statute of limitations. There is no ruling on the merits,” said an attorney for Sheldon Stephens, 25, Clash’s first accuser. Stephens claims Clash abused him when he was 16, PEOPLE reports. Stephens’ case against Clash is still pending, the attorney said. \[[PEOPLE](http://www.people.com/article/kevin-clash-cleared-sexual-abuse "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/74690/elmo-puppeteer-kevin-clash-cleared-sex-abuse-charges/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/74690/elmo-puppeteer-kevin-clash-cleared-sex-abuse-charges/"},"headline":"Elmo's Voice Cleared of Sex Abuse Charges","datePublished":"2014-04-23T22:50:29.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:28:11.812Z","description":"Kevin Clash, the voice of everyone’s favorite ticklish red puppet, resigned from Sesame Street amid allegations of sexual abuse, but the case was dismissed and recently upheld due to \"statute of limitations,\" an attorney for one of the accusers said","url":"https://time.com/74690/elmo-puppeteer-kevin-clash-cleared-sex-abuse-charges/","keywords":["Sexual Assault","Crime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt39a09ca8431d6ab2/69868c23adae441f1a542b90/133596666.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Denver Nicks","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/denver-nicks/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt39a09ca8431d6ab2/69868c23adae441f1a542b90/133596666.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The Apple Store Upper West Side Presents Meet The Filmmakers: Kevin Clash, Elmo, & Constance Marks","caption":"The Apple Store Upper West Side Presents Meet The Filmmakers: Kevin Clash, Elmo, & Constance Marks","creditText":"Wendell Teodoro—WireImage/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/74690/elmo-puppeteer-kevin-clash-cleared-sex-abuse-charges/","name":"Elmo's Voice Cleared of Sex Abuse Charges"}}]}] ```