Emmy award winning Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash is off the hook in underage sex allegations. On Tuesday, the unidentified 23-year-old man who made the accusations recanted his claims in a statement released through the law firm that represents him.
"He wants it to be known that his sexual relationship with Mr. Clash was an adult consensual relationship. He will have no further comment on the matter,” Andreozzi & Associates said in a statement.
Clash says he is “relieved” by the turn of events. "I will not discuss it further,” Clash told People magazine.
The 52-year-old maintained his innocence throughout an investigation conducted by Sesame Street Workshop. Clash admitted to having a relationship with his accuser, but insisted it happened when the man was of legal age. The man had claimed their sexual relationship began when he was 16-years-old and Clash was 45-years-old.
"We are pleased that this matter has been brought to a close," Sesame Street Workshop told People magazine in a statement. "We are happy that Kevin can move on from this unfortunate episode."
On Monday Sesame Street Workshop confirmed Clash had been granted a leave of absence to take steps “to protect his reputation.” “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,” a rep said.
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