The man who accused the voice of Sesame Street’s beloved Elmo [Kevin Clash] of having a sexual relationship with him when he was 16 has recanted his story reports Huffington post.
The New York Times reports that the law firm representing the accuser, who has not been named, released a statement saying the man “wants it to be known that his sexual relationship with [Kevin Clash] was an adult consensual relationship.”
On Monday [Nov. 13th] it was reported that Clash had taken a leave of absence from the children’s show to fight the accusations. When the allegation first arose, Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization that produces the show, released a statement that seems to fall in line with the accuser’s new assertions.
We took the allegation very seriously and took immediate action. 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. Although this was a personal relationship unrelated to the workplace, our investigation did reveal that Kevin exercised poor judgment and violated company policy regarding internet usage and he was disciplined.
The episode this week led to Mr. Clash coming out as a gay man, something he had not previously discussed in public.
“I have never been ashamed of this or tried to hide it, but felt it was a personal and private matter,” Clash said in the statement on Monday.
Since the story broke out, the accuser [who is now 24 yrs of age] has been identified as Sheldon Stephens and The New York Post drummed up his past history. Take a look below:
On his Facebook page, Stephens says, “I like to consider myself a rare breed. I’m very spontaneous and random…I’m determined and goal oriented. My destiny is laid on a solid gold brick pathway … MY FUTURE IS BRIGHT and never will it dim.”
But Stephens’ past includes an arrest for allegedly robbing a former boss of a $250,000 gold necklace at knifepoint in 2009, according to the Smoking Gun.
Stephens allegedly ripped off the jewelry in California from music manager Darian Pollard after being fired from his internship.
Stephens was taken into custody after returning to Pennsylvania, but California authorities never pursued the case. the Smoking Gun reported.
Stephens, whose modeling Web site lists him as single, also has been arrested for passing a bad check, and reckless driving.
His mother, Felicia Stephens, 48, was busted in 2011 for allegedly stabbing her husband with scissors.
Felicia, charged with attempted murder, is free on bail pending trial in Pennsylvania.
Clearly, someone was upset with the other and or Stephens was looking for a quick come-up giving his ‘dimming’ career. Talk about ‘A Scandal‘! Now that the truth has surfaced, if our society and employment companies lives up to its true meaning of “equality” hopefully, Clash’s personal and private life will not hinder his employment of nearly 30 yrs.