Accuser Make U-Turn: What Now For Kevin Clash and Elmo?

Accuser Make U-Turn: What Now For Kevin Clash and Elmo?

Kevin Clash - the man who voices Elmo on Sesame Street - probably let out a huge sigh of relief last week after the man accusing him of underage sex agreed to a reported settlement of $125,000. There had been doubts over Mr Sheldon Stephens' accusations from the start, though the story was big enough to force Clash into taking leave from the legendary children's show to sort things out.

After a meeting of lawyers, it was agreed that Stephens would confirm that his sexual relationship with Mr Clash was purely adult and consensual. TMZ.com reported on a statement released late last week that read, "Stephens agrees that immediately upon execution of this Agreement, his counsel, Andreozzi & Associates, P.C., shall release the [following] statement ... 'He [Stephens] wants it to be known that his sexual relationship with Mr. Clash was an adult consensual relationship." So that was that then? Clash would return to work on Sesame Street and everything would be fine. Well, not exactly. Now, Stephens is having second thoughts and feels he was pressured into signing the settlement. Having met with his lawyers in Los Angeles, the accuser insists he had sex with Clash while he was just 16-years-old and will gladly forfeit the $125,000 to tell the truth about the matter. He was reportedly crying throughout the initial negotiations and initially refused to sign on the dotted line.

Clash's lawyer said on Friday (November 16, 2012) that he had no comment to make on the matter, though we're likely to hear something in the near future. The whole case has been become murkier after The Smoking Gun found that Mr Stephens was a "struggling 24-year-old model/actor" who was once arrested for the knifepoint robbery of $250,000 in jewellery from a music manager for whom he interned.