The man that accused Elmo voice actor Kevin Clash of having sex with him when he was underage has recanted his story. The accuser released a statement through his lawyers on Tuesday. “He wants it to be known that his sexual relationship with Mr. Clash was an adult consensual relationship,” according to a statement issued by Andreozzi & Associates. “He will have no further comment on the matter.”
The unnamed accuser originally claimed he and Clash had a sexual relationship when he was 16-years-old. Clash has maintained his innocence and took a voluntary leave from Sesame Street on Monday to deal with the matter. “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,” he said in a statement after the scandal became public. “I am taking a break from Sesame Workshop to deal with this false and defamatory allegation.”
Sesame Street Workshop launched their own investigation and said Clash had been disciplined for “personal relationship unrelated to the workplace” and had exercised “poor judgement.”
Since the recantation, Clash released a statement saying he wants to put the incident behind him. “I am relieved that this painful allegation has been put to rest. I will not discuss it further,” he said in a statement. There were no charges filed and there is no word on when Clash will return to Sesame Street but the company has released a statement on the outcome of the situation. “We are pleased that this matter has been brought to a close, and we are happy that Kevin can move on from this unfortunate episode,” Sesame Street Workshop said in a statement.
