DON’T TICKLE ME! Kevin Clash, with Muppet, Elmo, insists that his young accuser was of legal age when their “relationship” began. (
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Say it ain’t so, Elmo!
Kevin Clash — the puppeteer who transformed a furry red Muppet named Elmo into an international sensation — has taken a leave of absence from TV’s “Sesame Street” to deal with allegations that he had been involved in a “relationship” with a 16-year-old boy, the show’s producers said yesterday.
The allegations came to light after the now-23-year-old accuser contacted Clash’s bosses in June.
Clash, a 52-year-old divorced dad who lives on the Upper West Side, admitted in a statement that he and his accuser had been involved — but insisted the young man wasn’t a minor at the time.
“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.
“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,’’ said Clash, famed for turning Elmo into a quirky, mischievous monster.
His squeaky-voiced character spawned its own industry, including the insanely popular Tickle-Me-Elmo toy.
Clash told bosses he wanted to take time off from his work at the show’s studios in Long Island City, Queens, to challenge the “false and defamatory” allegations.
Despite criticism by Clash’s accuser, Sesame Workshop said in a statement, “We took the allegation very seriously and took immediate action.
“We met with the accuser twice and had repeated communications with him. We met with Kevin, who denied the accusation. We also conducted a thorough investigation and found the allegation of underage conduct to be unsubstantiated.”
The accuser’s lawyers — who represented a victim of Jerry Sandusky in the Penn State sex scandal — declined to comment.
TMZ reported that the Pennsylvania firm had written Sesame Workshop a letter in August, saying it was trying to “discredit the victim in order to protect its employee and the image of one of its most valuable characters.”
Michael Davis, author of “Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street,” told The Post, “I never realized [Clash] had a social life at all. I’ve always seen him working.”
Clash has blamed the breakdown of his marriage to his college sweetheart on his workaholic nature.
Asked by The Post last year if he had time for relationships, the 23-time Emmy winner said, “Not right now. I am so focused and love what I do. Maybe one of these days.”
In Times Square, one “street” Elmo simply said, “This won’t be good for my job.”
Additional reporting by Amber Sutherland, David K. Li, Sean Daly, Michael Shain and Matt McNulty