"Elmo" resigns after 2nd allegation

[wendibird22]

http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/189470/37/Elmo-Actor-Resigns-Amid-Sex-Allegation


Last week a man accused Clash of having sex with him when he was a teenage boy, a charge Clash denied. A day later, the man recanted his charge. A lawsuit by a second accuser was filed Tuesday, according to attorney Cecil Singleton.

Sesame Workshop called the controversy surrounding Clash's personal life "a distraction that none of us want" and led to his decision to leave the show.

I wonder what Sesame will do with Elmo. I'm guessing they'll find a replacement since the character is so popular.

[BabyBearsMom]

I'm sure they will find a replacement puppeteer. There is no way that Elmo can really be gone. I'm sure Sesame Workshop owns the character.

The first time, I was willing to assume it was someone trying to extort money but when more come out of the wood work you have to start to think that there is some truth to it. It is really tragic. You would think that if you are in that line of work you would be more careful about something like this. At the children's sexual assault prevention training that I had to go to for work, the facilitator kept saying that child predators seek out jobs that will get them closer to children and I guess this is an example (even if he is working with toddlers and his preference is apparently for teenagers).

[NJ_Mom2011]

This news is very disturbing. I tried to be in denial about the 1st allegation, assuming that it was extortion, but now, sadly, it appears true. My daughter is at the age of loving Sesame St, and Elmo is in every single one of them. She also has Elmo books, software, and toys. Elmo is even on her Pampers. Logically, this child molestation should not affect whether she should continue enjoying Elmo and Sesame St, but it does make me hesitate about turning this program on and exposing her to this beloved character.

Sigh. Molestation of young boys is just too prevalent (Sandusky, BBC, and now this), and I just pray it stops.

[Pyrodjm]

All I know is they better find a replacement person to do Elmo's voice. He is such a fixture of Sesame Street!It's one of the few show DH and I actually enjoy watching with our girls probably because WE grew up watching it.

[wellyes]

Porn chat sites always = bad idea.

[Giantbear]

Other than close family, i do not think there is anyone that I would be surprised to hear is a pedophile. I barely blinked when this first broke.

[kijip]

How horrible.

Though, wholly unrelated to the scandal, I personally abhor Elmo and wish the puppet would go away. Elmo stole Sesame Street. I want more of the classic characters back. There was no Elmo on SS when I was young enough for SS.

[sntm]

How horrible.

Though, wholly unrelated to the scandal, I personally abhor Elmo and wish the puppet would go away. Elmo stole Sesame Street. I want more of the classic characters back. There was no Elmo on SS when I was young enough for SS.

I totally agree. I hate Elmo. Second only to Dora. They both sound like nails on a chalkboard.

[elektra]

I was disappointed to hear this news. I do hope that he never abused young children. 16 is still pretty young. :(


Other than close family, i do not think there is anyone that I would be surprised to hear is a pedophile. I barely blinked when this first broke.

Giantbear, why do you feel that way? (Just honestly asking.) Do you just think this type of abuse/behavior/attraction is more common than people want to believe?

[buddyleebaby]

How horrible.

Though, wholly unrelated to the scandal, I personally abhor Elmo and wish the puppet would go away. Elmo stole Sesame Street. I want more of the classic characters back. There was no Elmo on SS when I was young enough for SS.

I hate Clash's version of Elmo. Pre-Clash Elmo was pretty cute (and a minor character).

[kijip]

Porn chat sites always = bad idea.

So true.

[wellyes]

Other than close family, i do not think there is anyone that I would be surprised to hear is a pedophile. I barely blinked when this first broke.
There are no accusations of pedophilia. Sexual interest in teenagers is not the same as sexual interest in prepubescent children. I don't normally try to compare or rank crimes here, but, since he is a children's performer in this case I think it does make a difference.

[minnie-zb]

All I know is they better find a replacement person to do Elmo's voice. He is such a fixture of Sesame Street!It's one of the few show DH and I actually enjoy watching with our girls probably because WE grew up watching it.

From what I've read they are planning on using the understudy's (sp?) he trained.

Feel free to tell me if I misspelled that! :D

[Snow mom]

There are no accusations of pedophilia. Sexual interest in teenagers is not the same as sexual interest in prepubescent children. I don't normally try to compare or rank crimes here, but, since he is a children's performer in this case I think it does make a difference.

I agree with this and want to make a second point although I'm not trying to say that this should be overlooked. In the gay community it is EXTREMELY common to have relationships between people who are vastly different in age. I don't know many gay people who acknowledged their sexuality while young who didn't have one of these May-December relationships. Some were of legal age and involved with someone much older, others technically weren't of legal age and had their first sexual experiences with someone 10+ years their senior. It is illegal (but so is consensual gay sex in many states) but the community does treat this as a much more acceptable behavior than it is in the straight community.

[Multimama]

There are no accusations of pedophilia.

:yeahthat:

From Wikipedia: "As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia, or paedophilia, is a psychiatric disorder in persons 16 years of age or older typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children (generally age 13 years or younger, though onset of puberty varies). An adolescent who is 16 years of age or older must be at least five years older than the prepubescent child before the attraction can be diagnosed as pedophilia."

The crime he has been accused of is not pedophilia. I also agree with Snowmom's comment which, while not dismissing the allegation, provides some important context.

[fivi2]

I am confused - in the state I grew up in, I believe the age of consent was 16. Is that different in each state?

[Multimama]

I am confused - in the state I grew up in, I believe the age of consent was 16. Is that different in each state?

Yes, it varies from state to state. Also in some states where the age of consent is 16 the person they are consenting with must not be more than X years older than the 16-year-old.