The X, formerly Twitter, account of Elmo was hacked on Sunday with the "Sesame Street" muppet sending numerous racist and antisemitic messages to his 647,000 followers.
Sesame Workshop worked to regain full control over its Elmo account on the X platform Monday after a hacker gained access and posted a string of racist and antisemitic messages.
"Elmo's X account was compromised by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages, including antisemitic and racist posts. We are working to restore full control of the account," a Sesame Workshop spokesperson said Monday. Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit behind "Sesame Street" and Elmo.
The account was compromised over the weekend and instead of the usual posts of encouragement and kindness, Elmo's 650,000 followers were given antisemitic threats and a profane reference to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation.
Listen now and subscribe: | | | |
Elmo poses for a portrait Jan. 24, 2011, in the Fender Music Lodge during the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
Victoria Will, Associated Press
Those tweets were soon deleted, though Elmo's account retains a link to a Telegram channel from a user who takes credit for the hack.
Elmo's social media account has lately become a place for mental health awareness. Last year, the red fuzzy monster, eternally 3½, caused a sensation when he asked: "Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?" It prompted responses from then-President Joe Biden and Chance the Rapper.
