UNSETTLED:Sheldon Stephens wants to take back a $125,000 settlement deal he made with Kevin Clash (above), in which he backed off claims of child-sex abuse. (INFphoto.com)
UNSETTLED: Sheldon Stephens (inset) wants to take back a $125,000 settlement deal he made with Kevin Clash (above), in which he backed off claims of child-sex abuse. (
)
The man who accused Elmo’s puppeteer of sexual misconduct reportedly wants to recant his recantation.
Sheldon Stephens, 24, last week withdrew sensational claims that, as an underage teen, he had a wild fling with Kevin Clash, the voice behind the beloved Muppet Elmo.
Now Stephens is interviewing lawyers in hopes of ripping up the $125,000 deal he reached with Clash, 52, to deny there was any illegal sex, according to TMZ.
Stephens’ Pennsylvania lawyers last week released a statement on his behalf, absolving Clash of any wrongdoing: “He [Stephens] wants it to be known that his sexual relationship with Mr. Clash was an adult consensual relationship.”
However, Stephens now wants to return to his previous position, claiming Clash had sex with him when he was just 16, TMZ reports.
Clash, a divorced Upper West Side dad, went on a leave of absence from “Sesame Street” last week to fight the sordid accusations.
He has conceded to having a relationship with Stephens, but vehemently insisted that intimate contact didn’t happen until his boy toy became legal.
Clash, who came out of the closet while fighting the allegations, continues to deny any underage sex with Stephens.
Reps for Clash and Sesame Workshop — the educational nonprofit behind “Sesame Street” — could not be immediately reached for comment yesterday.
No one apparently was home to pick up the phone at Stephens’ Harrisburg, Pa., home last night.
TMZ reported that Stephens was in tears last week as he signed the $125,000 deal absolving Clash of having illegal sex.
Clash has been the voice of Elmo since 1984, helping to make the furry red monster one of children’s TV’s most treasured characters.
Elmo’s fans love his sweet, innocent voice and adorable third-person references.
Clash was the star of the 2011 documentary “Being Elmo,” tracing his love of puppets to his childhood in Baltimore.