ELMO IS A CHILD MOLESTER!

Here are some words I never thought I would hear ever come out of my mouth - Elmo likes little boys!

Kevin Clash -- the man who voices the popular Sesame Street character has taken a leave of absence from the popular children's show after being accused of having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old boy. Clash denies the claims.


According to TMZ, Clash has admitted that he had a relationship with the young male, but he was not underage when they hooked up. Sesame Workshop lawyers met up recently with the 23-year-old man who claims he and Clash began a sexual relationship 7 years ago ... when he was 16 and Clash was 45.

Here is what Sesame Workshop honchos told TMZ: "In June of this year, Sesame Workshop received a communication from a young man who alleged that he had a relationship with Kevin Clash beginning when he was 16-years-old. This was a personal relationship, unrelated to the workplace. We took the allegation very seriously and took immediate action."

After meeting a few times with Sesame Workshop attorneys and feeling that they were trying to discredit his claims out of fear that his allegations could leave a nasty stain on the conservative franchise, he quickly lawyered up with Andreozzi and Associates -- the firm that represented one of the victims in the Jerry Sandusky child rape case.

On August 15, 2012 ... Andreozzi fired off a letter to Sesame, accusing the company of trying to "discredit the victim in order to protect its employee and the image of one of its most valuable characters," adding, "This approach places a greater value on a puppet than the well being of a young man."

Elmo is one of the most popular characters on Sesame Street so it would make perfect sense that they would do everything in their power to protect their brand. Seasme Workshop says they never tried to discredit Kevin's accuser but asked him for evidence in regards to his claims but the accuser never came forth with the evidence.


Sesame Workshop honchos tell TMZ ... "Kevin insists that these allegations are false and defamatory and he has taken actions to protect his reputation. We have granted him a leave of absence to do so."

As for Clash, the voice actor tells TMZ, "I had a relationship with [the accuser]. It was between two consenting adults and I am deeply saddened that he is trying to make it into something it was not." Clash calls the accusations false and defamatory.

Finally Sesame Workshop officials tell TMZ the puppet is alive and well: "Elmo is bigger than any one person and will continue to be an integral part of Sesame Street to engage, educate and inspire children around the world."

I always believe that everyone is innocent until proven guilty but this does make me wonder about Kevin Clash because if you are indeed innocent of the underage sex allegations why would you take a leave of absence? It only makes you come across as guilty in some circles.