Elmo
TICKLISH: A third man has come forward with the charge that Elmo’s voice, Kevin Clash, had underage sex with him. (
)
This bedtime story isn’t for children.
The third man who claims he had an underage tryst with Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash gushes about his alleged encounter in an unpublished memoir, which his lawyer read to reporters yesterday.
In Chapter 11, “Tickled My Heart,” the accuser says Clash “showed me what it felt like to get on your knees and obey your man,” lawyer Jeff Herman recited during a press conference at the Hilton in Midtown.
The accuser, who refuses to reveal his name, claims in a Manhattan federal lawsuit that he was 16 at the time of the encounter, in 2000.
“Mr. Tickler is what I will call him, and the game we played was father and son,” Herman read.
“On our first night, I did not lose my virginity; however, I learned what it felt like to have a man kiss you and take your breath away.”
Herman also claimed yesterday that other victims have approached him with similar allegations.
When asked if any of them are younger than 23 years — which means they could still press criminal charges against Clash — Herman said he’s still investigating the merit of their claims.
The third alleged victim, now 28 and living in Florida, claims in the suit that he met Clash in a gay chat room when he was 16.
They had sex in 2000 when he was invited to stay at Clash’s Upper West Side apartment while the teen was in the city pursuing modeling jobs, the suit says.
According to the suit, “Kevin Clash gave John alcohol and groomed him. Kevin Clash engaged in sexual contact.”
Clash’s apartment is filled with Elmo dolls and photos of Elmo with famous people, such as Beyoncé and Tyra Banks, the suit claims.
The two stayed in touch, and had another sexual encounter after the accuser turned 18, the suit says.
“I am only coming forward in support for the two victims that were accused as liars,” the third victim said in a statement, calling Clash “an incredible man.”
Clash’s lawyer called the lawsuit “without merit.”
Herman also claimed yesterday that Clash confronted the accuser one week before the first lawsuit was filed, asking him, “Did I ever hurt you?”