--- title: Why Kevin Clash’s Personal Life Troubles Parents of Elmo Fans description: Does it matter to Elmo’s most ardent fans that for a few hours, the world’s most well-known furry red monster and the guy who brings... canonical: https://time.com/archive/7137221/why-kevin-clashs-personal-life-troubles-parents-of-elmo-fans/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2012-11-14T11:00:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-16T10:12:51.443Z article:section: Health og:title: Why Kevin Clash's Personal Life Troubles Parents of Elmo Fans og:description: Kevin Clash's accuser recants claim of underage sex, but not before parents struggle with their own expectations of their children's entertainers og:url: https://time.com/archive/7137221/why-kevin-clashs-personal-life-troubles-parents-of-elmo-fans/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt345d9c88602915cb/698a9316b3fce330390d3262/120173926-resize.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 120173926.resize og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Kevin Clash's Personal Life Troubles Parents of Elmo Fans twitter:description: Kevin Clash's accuser recants claim of underage sex, but not before parents struggle with their own expectations of their children's entertainers twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt345d9c88602915cb/698a9316b3fce330390d3262/120173926-resize.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) # Why Kevin Clash's Personal Life Troubles Parents of Elmo Fans by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Nov 14, 2012 11:00 AM UTC  Frederick M. Brown/Stringer / Getty Images by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Nov 14, 2012 11:00 AM UTC Does it matter to Elmo’s most ardent fans that for a few hours, the world’s most well-known furry red monster and the guy who brings him to life were seemingly embroiled in an underage sex scandal? On Monday, Kevin Clash, the _Sesame Street_ puppeteer responsible for the voice of Elmo for more than 20 years, was accused of having a relationship with another man who said he was 16 when they began seeing each other. The claim forced Clash, 52, to acknowledge publicly for the first time that he is gay; while he admitted they were involved, he characterized the relationship as one between “two consenting adults.” Sesame Workshop, which produces _Sesame Street_ and conducted its own investigation, stood behind Clash. The company did reprimand him for inappropriate use of company email but granted him leave to prepare his defense. On Tuesday, however, it appeared Clash’s efforts were no longer necessary. His unnamed accuser, now 23, recanted, leading the voice of Elmo to issue the following statement: “I am relieved that this painful allegation has been put to rest. I will not discuss it further.” First things first: when will Clash return to voicing Elmo? Sesame Workshop couldn’t say, although they did [note on Monday](http://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog/) that 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.” But executives did [express their relief on Tuesday](http://www.sesameworkshop.org/our-blog/2012/11/13/sesame-workshops-statement-regarding-kevin-clash-update/) that the trying times for Clash and his furry alter-ego have “been brought to a close, and we are happy that Kevin can move on from this unfortunate episode.” But can _Sesame Street_? What for years has been beloved television programming for the wee set has found it tricky to steer clear of controversy in recent years. In 2010, a video of pop star Katy Perry [playing ta](http://healthland.time.com/2010/09/23/is-katy-perry-a-sesame-streetwalker-or-do-viewers-want-her-to-be/)g with none other than Elmo was yanked from _Sesame Street_ because parents complained the singer was showing too much cleavage. Earlier this year, thousands of breast-feeding activists [signed a petition ](http://healthland.time.com/2012/01/12/group-petitions-to-bring-breastfeeding-back-to-sesame-street/)urging _Sesame Street_ to portray breast-feeding, which it claimed the program was giving short shrift, alongside bottle-feeding on the show. Last month, [Mitt Romney](http://topics.time.com/mitt-romney/) famously took aim at Big Bird during a presidential debate during which he threatened to cut funding to public broadcasting programs that support shows like _Sesame Street_. (**MORE**: [Can Elmo Inspire Your Kid to Become a Scientist?](http://healthland.time.com/2012/01/09/can-elmo-inspire-your-kid-to-become-a-scientist/)) But all of that pales in comparison to allegations that a Sesame Streeter was potentially breaking the law. The buzz surrounding the scandal almost certainly never reached the ears of the millions of kids who have catapulted Elmo, the embodiment of preschool wonder and curiosity, to the status of MVP (most valuable puppet). Elmo’s legion of diminutive fans are far too young to understand or care about underage sex or gay sex or sex at all. But for the parents of those kids, the whole, brief brouhaha felt kind of creepy. Even if Clash’s accuser were of legal age to be in a relationship, the idea of Elmo’s animator involved in torrid affairs that escalated to the point of one lover accusing another of illicit behavior left many moms and dads conflicted. TMZ published an email apparently sent by Clash to his accuser when he would have been 21 that didn’t leave much to the imagination: --- > “” --- As much as Clash’s life away from _Sesame Street_ is certainly his own to live, it is hard not to hold him, as a children’s educator, to a higher standard. The truth is that children’s entertainers do have a higher moral obligation to their audience than, say, Mick Jagger does to his. Clash was also the focus of a 2011 documentary, “[Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey](http://beingelmo.com/about.html),” that lionized his personal journey from a wannabe Muppeteer, entertaining the tykes in his mother’s home daycare in [Baltimore](http://topics.time.com/baltimore/) with puppets pieced together from coat linings, to a driving force behind _Sesame Street_’s enduring appeal to little kids. He’s won multiple [Emmy Awards](http://topics.time.com/emmy-awards/) for serving as co-executive producer for _Sesame Street_, which has been named “Outstanding Pre-School Children’s Series” countless times. And he’s written [an autobiography](http://www.amazon.com/My-Life-Furry-Red-Monster/dp/0767923758), “My Life as a Furry Red Monster, What Elmo Has Taught Me About Life, Love and Laughing Out Loud.” (**MORE**: [Elmo at the White House? Monster Plugs School Lunch Bill](http://healthland.time.com/2010/12/16/elmo-at-the-white-house-monster-plugs-school-lunch-bill/)) Young, impressionable kids are easily influenced by adults they admire, as evidenced by Preston, an 8-year-old from Idaho, who posted on Clash’s Facebook page last month: --- > “” --- And Elmo is a great character, one that youngsters and adults alike can appreciate. In Clash’s [own words](http://www.amazon.com/My-Life-Furry-Red-Monster/dp/0767923758): --- > “” --- Clash should find inspiration in his own words, and learn from this experience that as challenging, and even unfair as it may seem at times, “Being Elmo” means that drawing hard lines between the monster’s world and his own is nearly impossible to do. **(MORE**: [Group Petitions to Bring Breastfeeding Back to Sesame Street](http://healthland.time.com/2012/01/12/group-petitions-to-bring-breastfeeding-back-to-sesame-street/)) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7137221/why-kevin-clashs-personal-life-troubles-parents-of-elmo-fans/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7137221/why-kevin-clashs-personal-life-troubles-parents-of-elmo-fans/"},"headline":"Why Kevin Clash's Personal Life Troubles Parents of Elmo Fans","datePublished":"2012-11-14T11:00:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-16T10:12:51.443Z","description":"Does it matter to Elmo’s most ardent fans that for a few hours, the world’s most well-known furry red monster and the guy who brings...","url":"https://time.com/archive/7137221/why-kevin-clashs-personal-life-troubles-parents-of-elmo-fans/","keywords":["Marriage","Love","Romance"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt345d9c88602915cb/698a9316b3fce330390d3262/120173926-resize.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt345d9c88602915cb/698a9316b3fce330390d3262/120173926-resize.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"120173926.resize","caption":"","creditText":"Frederick M. 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