Elmo Muppeteer Kevin Clash resigns from Sesame Street

[King Jim]

I'm so sad to see Kevin Clash resign. He'll be missed! No one will ever be able to perform Elmo the same way again .

 

[cjd874]

This is complete and utter bull. So what if Kevin has a life we don't look proudly at? Richard Hunt did, and he was on Sesame Street until his end. For god sakes, Kevin was a reason Seasame Street lasted so long. Here's hoping Steve, Bill, and Dave will welcome their old buddy back.
Seriously: We lose Jerry, and now Kevin's gone? Sure, not in the same sense, but Sesame Street's going to be hurt with out these two. Won't be long until, God forbid, Carol Spinney passes.

Plus, the media today is basically omnipresent. They take any story they can and blow it up to exaggerated proportions. With media monsters like TMZ and NY DN, every story is put under a microscope. I wasn't around when Richard was performing on SS, but it's probably safe to say that HIS personal life wasn't publicized the way Kevin's is right now.

And please...the thought of Caroll passing is way too much, LamangoNumber2. We can't afford to lose any more beloved puppeteers.

 

[zns]

We should all pray for Kevin, as well as Sesame Workshop and whoever takes over as Elmo.

 

[Drtooth]

MTV celebrates a show it puts on called "16 and pregnant"...which is a completely illegal premise to begin with if we're going by this.

THANK You! Those are the words I was going for. Not only are most of the pregnancies on that show consensual, but a large fraction of them are girls who get knocked up to purposely be on that show. And MTV makes a profit from it. That should be illegal.

I stress that this isn't okay on any level, but there IS a huge difference between a consensual relationship and rape. What Kevin is accused of isn't right by any means, but it is, and I repeat, not the same as a sexual assault on a small child. The "victim" wanted the relationship. Kevin, if this is true, had bad judgement, but so did the victim. BOTH of them were doing wrong, yet only one of them is being punished. Hey, why not punish both?

 

[beaker]

THANK You! Those are the words I was going for. Not only are most of the pregnancies on that show consensual, but a large fraction of them are girls who get knocked up to purposely be on that show. And MTV makes a profit from it. That should be illegal.

I stress that this isn't okay on any level, but there IS a huge difference between a consensual relationship and rape. What Kevin is accused of isn't right by any means, but it is, and I repeat, not the same as a sexual assault on a small child. The "victim" wanted the relationship. Kevin, if this is true, had bad judgement, but so did the victim. BOTH of them were doing wrong, yet only one of them is being punished. Hey, why not punish both?

Read the article if you can stomach it, on the front page of the NY Daily. You have to know about New York's gay community in the early 90's to understand the context of the time. This wasnt someone preying on some kid in anytown USA. Of course Clash's actions if true were inappropriate, but there's a big difference between an accuser who says how wonderful these dates were with Clash vs kids who were brutally attacked by the head of Penn State football.

 

[LamangoNumber2]

Kevin only touched children in one way. The heart. That's all.

 

[ProboSowa]

Today's a punch to the stomach. I'm not going to bother talking about the allegations themselves for now... (ok, two words. Screw TMZ.) instead I'll remember the amazing body of work Kevin gave us. Elmo was a major part of my childhood and Kevin was crucial to Elmo's development and later on Sesame Street as a whole. His resignation is truly a major loss.

 

[ErnieBertGonzo]

This is just horrible. Hopefully, things will work out for Kevin in the end. I give him all the luck and support I can -- heck, even if (God forbid) it is the unfortunate truth.

EDIT: I agree with ProboSawa and the others who've said so that we should remember the great body of work that Kevin has given us for nearly 30 years.

 

[Drtooth]

Of course Clash's actions if true were inappropriate, but there's a big difference between an accuser who says how wonderful these dates were with Clash vs kids who were brutally attacked by the head of Penn State football.

Is all I'm trying to say. Clash was looking for a relationship in a bad place. There's probably some big psychological reason that Kevin did something so stupid, but there's an equally stupid psychological reason why that kid agreed. I know what Greenhoodie is saying... I agree wrong is wrong... but to characterize Kev the same as Sandusky and in the same circumstances? Rape is rape no matter at what age. It's illegal no matter what age.

 

[charlietheowl]

Just like the Jerry Sandusky scandal!!! I hope to God that there won't be like five other people following the first accuser's lead and "coming out" against Kevin.

I really hope you're not implying that the Jerry Sandusky allegations were made up, because there is an enormous amount of evidence showing that Sandusky used his charity, The Second Mile, and the position it gave him to have access to children. His position in the fabric of the community around Penn State, especially with their football program, basically prevented anyone from speaking out against him. It was a culture of silence.

I understand the point you're trying to make about Kevin Clash and accusers appearing out the woodwork, but I think that using the Jerry Sandusky case was a very poor comparison.