The voice of Elmo, Kevin Clash, hit a terrible turn in his career last week, after accusations that he engaged in sex with an underage man forced him to take a leave of absence from Sesame Street, where he has worked for nearly three decades.
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Now things have gotten worse, as Clash permanently resigned from Sesame Street this morning, after another man filed a lawsuit claiming that he had sex with him before he was an adult.
TMZ reports that a man named Cecil Singleton is accusing Clash of sleeping with him when he was 15 years old while Clash was 32. Singleton alleges that they met over a gay chat phone line in 1993 when the puppeteer lavished him with fancy dinners and money. According to the lawsuit filed in a New York City court, Singleton said that during Clash’s stint on Sesame Street, he was “preying on teenage boys to satisfy his depraved sexual interests.”
He also claims that he has “suffered adverse psychological and emotional effects from Kevin Clash’s sexual acts and conduct.” As a result, he is demanding over $5 million.
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In response to Clash’s resignation, Sesame Street released a statement:
“Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Kevin’s personal life has become a distraction that none of us wants, and he has concluded that he can no longer be effective in his job and has resigned from Sesame Street,” Sesame Workshop said. “This is a sad day for Sesame Street.”
It’s so sad that Elmo had to go out like this.
SOURCE: TMZ
