Former Elmo Puppeteer, Under Child Sex Abuse Cloud, Nominated For Emmy
Kevin Clash, the Sesame Street puppeteer best known for his role as Elmo and who left his job after being hit with a multitude of sex abuse allegations, has been nominated for an Emmy Award:
Kevin Clash, who resigned from “Sesame Street” last year amid allegations that he had sexual relationships with minors, found himself back in the news on Wednesday after receiving a daytime entertainment Emmy nomination for his role as the show’s popular Elmo character.
The nomination came as a surprise to some, but Mr. Clash’s work on the show spanned the entire award-eligible season; he has received 23 Daytime Emmy Awards in the past, some individually and others for show awards.
On Wednesday, he was nominated for outstanding performer in a children’s series. He was also included in the “Sesame Street” nomination for outstanding preschool children’s series.
(…)
An attorney representing Mr. Clash did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. Several men have come forward to claim they had underage sexual relationships with Mr. Clash beginning in November, when the first such allegation surfaced. Several lawsuits are pending.
When he left the show, Mr. Clash said in a statement: “Personal matters have diverted attention away from the important work ‘Sesame Street’ is doing and I cannot allow it to go on any longer. I am deeply sorry to be leaving and am looking forward to resolving these personal matters privately.”
Clash is presumed innocent, of course, but this nonetheless seems a little odd.
