Elmo puppeteer takes leave of absence

Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash has taken leave of absence from Sesame Street amid allegations he had a sexual relationship with a teenage boy some years ago.

Clash, who is openly gay, has denied the accusations made in June by a 23 year old man who was 16 at the time he says he knew Clash.

In a statement issued, Sesame Workshop said an investigation into the matter “found the allegation of underage conduct to be unsubstantiated” but it did note “poor judgment” and violation of company policy regarding Internet usage and disciplined him.

Clash has been granted a leave of absence “taking actions to protect his reputation.”

Clash further denied his accuser’s allegations in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, saying: “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. I am taking a break from Sesame Workshop to deal with this false and defamatory allegation.”

The Sesame Workshop statement reads: “We took the allegation very seriously and took immediate action. We met with the accuser twice and had repeated communications with him. We met with Kevin, who denied the accusation. We also conducted a thorough investigation and found the allegation of underage conduct to be unsubstantiated. 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.

“Kevin insists that the allegation of underage conduct is false and defamatory, and he is taking actions to protect his reputation. We have granted him a leave of absence to do so.

“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, as it has for 40 years.”

Clash, who also appeared in the documentary film Being Elmo, has been voicing Elmo since 1984.

UPDATE: Clash’s accuser has recanted his previous claims through his attorney, who backtracked to say it was an “adult consensual relationship.”

“I am relieved that this painful allegation has been put to rest. I will not discuss it further,” Clash said.

The Smoking Gun has identified the struggling 24-year-old model/actor was once arrested for the knifepoint robbery of $250,000 in jewellery from a music manager for whom he interned.