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Actor/Puppeteer Kevin Clash poses with Elmo.
The voice of Elmo, Kevin Clash, resigned today amid new allegations of sexual misconduct with underages boys, “Sesame Street” producers and the famed puppeteer said.
Since last week, two young men have accused Clash of picking them up for underaged sex.
Clash was granted a leave of absence last week to fight accusations made by Sheldon Stephens, 24, of Harrisburg, Pa.
But Clash quit today, after a lawsuit was filed by Cecil Singleton, who claims he was just 15 when the Elmo voice had sex with him in 1993.
"I am resigning from Sesame Workshop with a very heavy heart. I have loved every day of my 28 years working for this exceptional organization,” Clash said in a prepared 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."
Sesame Workshop, the educational non-profit that produces the venerable kids show, said Clash’s battle with accusers made it impossible for him to work on “Sesame Street.”
“Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Kevin’s personal life has become a distraction that none of us wants, and he has concluded that he can no longer be effective in his job and has resigned from `Sesame Street,’ “ according a statement by Sesame Workshop.
“This is a sad day for `Sesame Street.’ ”
Clash’s sudden downfall came hours after Singleton’s lawsuit was filed Manhattan federal court.
“Kevin Clash was an unmarried adult male living a prominent public life centered around the entertainment of toddlers, while at the same time he was, in secret, preying on teenage boys to satisfy his depraved sexual interests,” Singleton’s lawyer Jeffrey Herman wrote.
Singleton had kept this secret for years and didn’t think about coming out, until Stephens’ story emerged last week.
“He wasnt think about doing this at all until last week,”: Singleton told The Post.
“He thought he was the only one. He never looked at himself as a victim. He was a compliant victim, he just wasn’t a consenting victim because he couldn’t be. He was only 15.”
Singleton believes there might be other boys who have been seduced by Clash.
“After seeing what happened last week, he saw the pattern and the other potential teens this has probably happened to,” Herman said. “That’s when he decided to come forward.”
Clash, who is now 52, met Singleton in an online gay chatroom -- though the plaintiff didn’t immediately disclose his age, Herman conceded.
It wasn’t until they met face-to-face, over dinner, that Singleton allegedly told Clash he was just 15.
They saw each other in 1993 and 1994 and then reconnected for romantic rendezvous when Singleton was between 17 and 19, according to Herman.
Clash took Singleton to dinner, once helped him pay a phone bill and helped him out with spending money from time to time -- no more than “three digits,” according to Herman.
"[Clash] trolled gay telephone chat line rooms to meet and have sex with underage boys,” Singleton claimed in his explosive lawsuit.
"[Clash] groomed Cecil to gain his trust by, among other things, taking him to nice dinners and giving him money."
The lawsuit said Singleton "did not become aware that he had suffered adverse psychological and emotional effects from Kevin Clash's sexual acts and conduct until 2012."
Singleton is asking more than $5 million.
Clash faced a similar accusation of underage sex last week, in another complaint that just won’t go away.
The first accuser Stephens said he and Clash had intimate contact when the young man was just 16. The puppeteer concedes they had a relationship, but claims any sex happened after Stephens turned 18.
Stephens withdrew his complaint against Clash last week, but now wants to recant his recantation.
He’s interviewing lawyers in hopes of ripping up the $125,000 deal he made with Clash last week, according to TMZ.
Stephens’ Pennsylvania lawyers released this statement on his behalf last week: 'He [Stephens] wants it to be known that his sexual relationship with Mr. Clash was an adult consensual relationship.”
Sesame Workshop today thanked Clash, who has been the voice of Elmo since 1984, for all his years of service.
“Sesame Workshop’s mission is to harness the educational power of media to help all children the world over reach their highest potential,” according to Sesame Workshop.
“Kevin Clash has helped us achieve that mission for 28 years, and none of us, especially Kevin, want anything to divert our attention from our focus on serving as a leading educational organization. “
Additional reporting by Leonard Greene
Elmo voice actor Kevin Clash resigns as second man files underage sex lawsuit against him
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Elmo voice actor Kevin Clash resigns as second man files underage sex lawsuit against him
