Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash resigned from his job today following a sexual scandal that has played out in the media for the past week.
According to a statement from Sesame Workshop, Clash’s personal life became too much of a “distraction.”
“Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Kevin’s personal life has become a distraction that none of us want, and he has concluded that he can no longer be effective in his job and has resigned from Sesame Street,” read the statement. “This is a bad day for Sesame Street.”
The news comes in the wake of new allegations of sexual misconduct from a second man. Cecil Singleton claims he had sex with Clash when he was 15 years old in 2003, reports TMZ.
Yesterday, Clash’s first accuser, Sheldon Stephens, made headlines when he took back his post-settlement statement and stood by his original allegations of sexual misconduct. Stephens, who allegedly received a $125,000 payout, said he was pressured into taking the settlement and retracting his claims.
Stephens now says he would forfeit the money to restore his name. He also says he was crying during the settlement’s final negation because he did not want to sign.