This post is brought to you by the letter “D” for disgrace.
Kevin Clash, the man who’s been the voice of Elmo for over 25 years, has resigned from Sesame Street after a second victim stepped forward alleging an affair with Clash when he was underaged.
According to TMZ, Clash is being sued by 24-year-old Cecil Singleton, who claims he met Kevin in a gay phone chat back in 2003 when he was 15 and Clash was 32.
Singleton claims that Clash “trolled gay telephone chat line rooms to meet and have sex with underage boys” and that he was “preying on teenage boys to satisfy his depraved sexual interests.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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Singleton is now demanding over $5 million.
This second allegation comes shortly after Clash’s original accuser Sheldon Stephens claimed he was forced to recant his story in exchange for a $125,000 settlement. Stephens now wants to forfeit the settlement and clear his name.
As for Clash’s name, he and Elmo have become synonymous with underage sex scandals so Sesame Street released the following statement announcing the veteran puppeteer’s resignation:
“Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Kevin’s personal life has become a distraction that none of us want, and he has concluded that he can no longer be effective in his job and has resigned from Sesame Street. This is a sad day for Sesame Street.”
It’s a sad day for Elmo, especially. After all these years he’s going to have to get used to a new guy shoving his hand up his backside. Hopefully that won’t end in a lawsuit too.
Eric Auerbach
Another creep looking for a payday, not giving a damn if he destroys a man’s career.
MikeE
unfortunately, the allegations MIGHT be true.
however, what the fu** was a 15-yr old doing cruising gay chat lines?
While Clash is forced to resign, the complainant tries to pass himself off as a “victim”? He was CRUISING A GAY CHAT LINE. Just how “innocent” could he possibly be? He was obviously not out to meet other 15-yr olds.
Eric Auerbach
Also, the 5 million dollar lawsuit makes it clear why the first accuser is taking back his recantation. He’s like, 125K? Bitch, Imma get me my millions! Expect his own multi-million dollar lawsuit in the very near future.
2eo
@Eric Auerbach: Indeed, his comments are drafted by a complete shyster. Those are ridiculous comments to get maximum impact, they state nothing personal about this Singleton and his experiences, instead opting for a direct and absolutely overt attack on Kevin Clash.
There is no merit too them. This has all the hallmarks of moneygrubbing, lying pushed by lawyers and two people after their time in the sun.
Dumdum
@MikeE: That is exactly what I was thinking. I came out when I was 15 and started sucking D**k when I was 13. It is one thing when one is forced, quite another when there is consent.
Rockery
I don’t know what to think, sometime tells me its a bit of a set up, but 2 people?? makes me wonder, IDK
mattcornell
Keep blaming. Keep slut shaming. Not a good look, folks.
mpwaite
Cecil Singleton and Sheldon Stephens… I’m sure you knew how old Mr. Clash was when you agreed to meet with him….Little Bitchy Queens who don’t care a rip about this man; you wanted a hook up; you got one; now that you found out that he was famous.. YOU WANT TO CRY RAPE AND COLLECT MONEY… Cecil Singleton and Sheldon Stephens you are opportunist only wanting money for nothing… Enjoy your five minutes.. Just remember the name KARMA.. SHE IS A NASTY BITCH AND COMES AROUND TO BITE YOU IN THE ASS!!! I hope you BOTH lose in court because you’re already LOSERS!!
Guillermo3
True,or not,or even partly true:It’s a terrible shame for all of them!
Stache1
@Eric Auerbach:
Wow. This is just like playing the price is right. Do I give up my $500 for a chance at what ‘s behind curtain # 3 or just take the money, shut up, and be grateful.
Stache1
@mattcornell:
I don’t think people are blaming any one person here. I think all have equal blame. I’d say it’s a combination of opportunistic money grubbers and a grown ass man who needs to stop chasing underage boys.
jmmartin
What a shame. He delighted children for many years in his alter-ego and now it is all brought down by unproved allegations.
mattcornell
@Stache1: Sorry, but a 15 year old boy cannot share “equal blame” with an adult man, legally or morally.
mz.sam
Trash begets trash…All’s well that ends well. Besides, Elmo deserves to partner with a gender neutral puppeter.
Bob LaBlah
I saw the segment on Extra. That “little boy” was a woman when he was fifteen. That little bitch knew damn well she was hooking up with grown men who would shower her with gifts if she “put out”. Many of you are too eager to still except that victim shit.
Word gets out that dummy offers to buy the other little bitch’s silence (despite knowing his criminal background and credibility problem) and up steps the next Rupaul wannabe to get her share of the loot. Only in America folks. Only in America.
Daniel-Reader
Most chatlines have terms of service requiring users to be 18+ so it will be interesting to see if the chatline sues the two users if they violated terms of service and misrepresented themselves to other users. The chatline could be the ultimate winner by suing any violators and their parents who were legally responsible at the time. Being underage doesn’t stop someone from going to jail for committing a crime or being legally responsible for paying damages. That will be the part of the story that would be interesting to follow just to see the actual circumstances of this entire story, which seems to lack a lot of details from all parties involved.
Mjl-428
@mattcornell: except a few things seem suspect.
1) TMZ. they’re like Mediatakeout i.e. NOT a credible news source. in order for them to be credible, their stories have to be accurate 100% of the time and no less.
2) so it doesn’t seem completely suspicious to you that a 15-year-old would be on a gay chat-line with someone twice their age? something seems off like what kind of gay chat line was this to allow a 15-year-old? who had said what exactly? one had to be lying to the other about something before they met in person
iluvcakes
In the case of child molestation I hate to blame the victim but seriously? You wait 9 years until another person sues him to say something? And as someone previously stated, you have to be 18 or older to use ADULT chat lines. What were 15-16 year olds doing on adult gay chat sites if not to hook up? Most people didn’t even know who Kevin Clash was until he came out with his popular documentary “Finding Elmo” last year. Is that really a coincidence?
If some old perv forced himself on me when I was that age I would have IMMEDIATELY said something. This isn’t like the Eddie Long case where he was psychologically manipulating the kids. They outright sought sex with older men. Any guy they talked to on the chat line was AUTOMATICALLY guilty. None of his accusers are claiming that they were manipulated or forced to have sex so why do they need 5 million dollars? Kevin is not without blame though, given what he does for a living he should not have been seeing anyone even close that that age, even if they were legal.
Kasnar
I guess we all could have seen that coming: a sex scandal involving a Sesame Street puppeteer! far less one involving a male to male relationship! This was bound to go south. I heard about his resignation on the TV news but I didn’t realize a second accuser had come forward. Kinda smacks of the Michael Jackson scandal. No matter what really happened, the first accusation raised a cloud or two. The second accusation makes those clouds rather dark. I do believe both guys are gold diggers. They’re going to come out now in their mid-20s to make accusations about something I’m confident they were more than willing to engage in so many years before. This is no Jerry Sandusky story. Even Roman Polanski’s victim has moved on.
I know the lawyers among us would say no underage person can give consent. Understood. However, the second accuser only mentioned chatting online. A child predator is not going to troll gay chatlines looking for underage boys. Speech alone is not enough to charge someone and underage people are not legally permitted in such venues.
The only reason I knew who Kevin Clash was is because within the past two years, Independent Lens showed a documentary, Being Elmo, which starred, yours truly, Kevin Clash. You can still watch it online. Yes,I’m wondering too if these gold diggers are coming out of the woodwork as a result of the celebrity/publicity Clash might have gotten with that documentary. By the way, Clash was even cuter in his twenties…;-)
Kasnar
@Stache1: Remember, we’re innocent until proven guilty in this dear land of freedom…;-)
kingkuy
@iluvcakes: i agree with you except for the dating younger guys thing. you can argue the reverse when older women date younger men. people just label them as cougars and give them a show on TLC and ABC
and i think a lot of other readers should ease up with all the labeling. discussing does not equal blaming. the simple fact is that we are none of these people so we can only infer based on what we have been told and what info has come to light
so in short… Sheldon has the profile (and history) of a crook and has already changed his story multiple times. this second kid is new altogether and as others have already mentioned very few people knew anything about Kevin until the documentary
infer from that what you will. i think the accusations are baseless
Kasnar
@jmmartin: Yeah, it’s a shame that this legacy will now be tainted by this smear. Truly a shame.
Kasnar
@mz.sam: gender neutral? Is that something like a eunuch?
Kasnar
@iluvcakes: It’s true that Clash could have exercised better judgment — even if these guys were 18 years of age. Perhaps, he likes younger guys. Considering Klash works around and for child audiences, he could have been more prudent. I’m sure he’s kicking himself now. Do we not remember PeeWee Herman ( Paul Reubens)?
hyhybt
@Stache1: What you describe is nothing like The Price is Right.
Captain proton
TMZ are now saying this second guy did not have sex with Clash – they just Dry Humped.
Also, there’s a video of his? press conference. I know some feminine guys, but I could swear that’s a woman.
http://www.tmz.com/2012/11/20/elmo-cecil-singleton-dry-hump-sexual-intercourse-kevin-clash/
Dumdum
@Kasnar: When working around children that changes the game completely. But to come forward several years later is clearly calculated. The alleged victims wink wink should have come forward when it happened. To do so now surely casts a dispersion upon their claim.
Guillermo3
@Kasnar: Probably not the right
time/place to bring this up,Kasnar,but since you mention PeeWee:
I thought despite his perceived gayness and child-like behavior,
appeal to kids,etc.that Rubens was actually caught wanking
during a hetero porn film.Does anyone know?
Guillermo3
@Captain proton: Glad you said that,
Captain.
I just watched the TMZ video,and thought something similar:
Adding to the scandalous accusations}Clash dryhumped an underage trans!
2eo
@2eo: Hey 2eo, do you remember the part where you said that the allegations were intentionally worded as a personal assault on the person to get it into the news? and that after they would go back on all of it and replace it with another allegation after the damage was done?
….
Yes, yes I do 2eo, thanks for pointing that out. I would also like too say that I accept awards for seeing the bloody obvious.
Dumdum
@Guillermo3: Pee Wee was busted in an adult theater in Florida masturbating to straight porn involving naughty nurses. He consequently was NOT the luckiest boy in puppet land. And Pee Wees Playhouse was cancelled. Clashes long haired nellie accuser is so GAY.( How gay is she?) Bi**h is so gay she farts cotton candy.
Dumdum
@2eo: Ladies and germs, the envelope please. Drum roll….And the award for amazingly perceptive and drop dead gorgeous goes to….Wait for it….2eo….That’s right ladies and gentlemen 2eo is the winner… This boy is amazing Bob he came out of nowhere and took the US by storm. His knowledge of American politics is quite extensive I understand. That’s right Bob it is. : )
2eo
@Dumdum: Nah, knowing more than Brent or BJ doesn’t make me informed, it merely means I’m technically at least capable of matching an Amoeba in a game of wits.
Arf.
Dionte
If they are lying on him they need their faces bashed in.
Dumdum
@2eo: Do you have Skype? If not try me at…[email protected]
Dumdum
@2eo: [email protected]
Guillermo3
@Dumdum: Dumdum,Who is Bob?
Dumdum
@Guillermo3: Reference to Barker Bob game show.
Guillermo3
@Dumdum: Was the Price Right,Dumdum?
2eo
@Dumdum: I don’t use Skype good sir, or social networking sites. Not a fan of how they operate, plus I’m on some lists so I like to keep a low profile.
Dumdum
@2eo: I do not know if you subscribe to our shared Celtic roots. I may be an American mutt, but I honor my antecedents. I certainly relate more to my European cousins than these backwoods butt scratching, knuckle dragging prigs. As an Elder I need input from a younger cohort. Just sayin Bro. No big. I understand.
mattcornell
@Mjl-428: Why are you so focused on the gay chat line? Clash met the 15 year old for sex IN REAL LIFE. That’s a crime. Stop making excused.
mattcornell
@Mjl-428: Why are you so focused on the gay chat line? Clash met the 15 year old for sex IN REAL LIFE. That’s a crime. Stop making excuses.
Eric Auerbach
@mattcornell: Actually, they didn’t have sex until the guy turned 18.
mattcornell
@Eric Auerbach: Pretty sure it’s a crime to dry hump a 15 year old. Point is, there are a lot of people here making excuses for Clash, while slut-shaming and blaming his victims. Both of whom were minors, legally incapable of consenting.
Dumdum
@mattcornell: My gut tells me that you had a very negative experience when you were young. I remember my first boner. I was reading Burroughs Tarzan. His bronze sinewy muscles rippling under the strain of conflict. I slept every night in those arms. As a sissy in a world of stupid knuckle dragging mouth breathing gun toting bambi killing asshats. How could I be anything but an angry screwed up mess. Perhaps I am insane. Something inside told me that I was OK. They were the ones who could not evolve to love everyone and everything. What seemed common sense to me was alien to others. I was 13. It had been building for a couple of years. They tried to make ME feel that there was something wrong with ME. But all this time, I was THINKING, there is something wrong with you. It made me so angry. I wanted to hurt everyone. I have lived my life being a nice person, helping others. I am not altruistic. If I was rich perhaps. WOW WHAT THE EFF WAS THAT ??????
Mjl-428
@mattcornell: It’s not making up excuses if it’s there in the first place. I’m just saying it’s suspicious considering the fact that gay chat lines for teens did not exist until recently with the trevor project. and Downelink.com sure as hell didn’t exist back in 2003 to my knowledge. I’m not going to slut bash but I will definitely point out when something is off and as much as I want to believe that these two are victims, something is DEFINITELY OFF.
this is ALMOST like the Eddie Long scandal, which I thought that those boys would’ve fought harder but instead, they took the money and ran, which to me says that if this were to happen again to other boys, that’s it. And I wanted Eddie to go to jail for it. Ever since then, it just feels like if they’re not willing to take this to court and ensure justice is dealt, but will gladly take a few million, then it makes you wonder how innocent they were in this
Dumdum
@Mjl-428: How hard is it to lie online? Mommy was so busy today. She left that card out. Honey I am so tired, go in the store for me, OK? There are over 7 billion people on our planet. You do the math. I had dinner with Dianne Feinstein, After Milk and Moscone were killed. William Gaylord was her friend. I was the hot date. I cannot prove anything. All I CAN say is they did not care one wit that two people died.
mattcornell
@Dumdum: Yeah, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Well, bye.
mattcornell
@Mjl-428: Don’t you think it’s also “suspicious” that a supposedly innocent Clash paid hush money to his accuser? Or, that he’s no longer working for Sesame Street? Dou you know how rare it is for someone to lie about rape? Especially against powerful people?
Mjl-428
@mattcornell: No. I don’t think it’s suspicious, it means of course he’s had sexual involvement with them. But I did see that of Cecil talking about it with his lawyer and he DID admit that they didn’t have sex until a few years later. secondly, when someone calls rape against a powerful person and money’s NOT involved, it’s rape. when money’s involved, especially to the point one can easily be silenced for a few millions, it makes you wonder how “innocent” is anyone in this story. I’ve seen too many stories that are like this one. and I’m not talking about CSI, NCIS, or Law and Order SVU. you just don’t want to believe it, but people can call rape and lie. not saying that the people who ARE raped are liars, but it’s the liars and users that are reason why it’s harder for them to seek justice.
Guillermo3
Once again,I’ll say how tragic this situation is for
all parties involved,guilty and/or innocent.But I think that it’s
also sad that Queerty and the commenters [self included]waste time
and emotional mongering/consuming/digestion scandals.It
perpetuates and nourishes unhealthy celebrity worship and negativity .
Brad007
Why are people so hesitant to believe someone who made a career on a children’s show might be a pedo? Yes, the guys who accuse him are total gold diggers, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t sleep with them years ago. Just sayin…