Kevin Clash, the former voice of Elmo on Sesame Street, recently resigned from his role on the show amid allegations that he engaged in sexual activity with multiple underage boys.

The first accuser, Sheldon Stephens, 23, alleges that he had a relationship with Clash, 52, when he was just 16 years old. Stephens and Clash have since reached a settlement in which the accuser would receive $125,000, as well as recant his story. He was reportedly reluctant to sign and has expressed regret in settling the case.

Since news of that first suit, Clash has been hit with two more suits. The second accuser, Cecil Singleton, says that he met Clash on a gay telephone chat line in 2003 when he was 15 and Clash was 42. He is demanding more than $5 million in his suit.

A third accuser, who wishes to go by “John Doe,” is also claiming to have had a sexual relationship with Clash when he was 16 years old and Clash was 40.

Clash became a puppeteer with “Sesame Street” in 1984 and for more than two decades was famous for his role as the voice behind the beloved Elmo character. He resigned on Nov. 20 with a “very heavy heart,” saying in a statement, “Personal matters have diverted attention away from the important work Sesame Street is doing and I cannot allow it to go on any longer. I am deeply sorry to be leaving and am looking forward to resolving these personal matters privately.”

Sesame Workshop released their own statement following Clash’s resignation, “Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Kevin’s personal life has become a distraction that none of us want, and he has concluded that he can no longer be effective in his job and has resigned from Sesame Street. This is a sad day for Sesame Street.”

Do you blame Sesame Street for not taking action against Kevin Clash sooner?

Get in on the conversation below.

HLN’s Evening Express anchor, Ryan Smith, is taking your questions and comments now, and will be sharing his thoughts on the allegations against Clash later this week.

Ryan Smith anchors Evening Express on HLN every week night between 5-7 PM ET. For more about Evening Express, check out http://www.hlntv.com/shows/evening-express.

Kelsey Grammer’s Boss, which airs on Starz, is being cancelled. The drama about a vindictive Chicago Mayor who was afflicted with a neurological disease ran for two seasons. The series’ cancellation makes way for three original series from the cable network next year including Da Vinci’s Demons, the final season of Spartacus and the second season of Magic City. Black Sails, a pirate drama from Jerry Bruckheimer will come to the network in 2014. [EW]

Kevin Clash has resigned from PBS’ Sesame Street. The voice behind Elmo has decided that the distraction, provided by a recent scandal in which an unidentified man claimed he had a sexual relationship with him when he was underage, has made it so he cannot be effective in his job. The unidentified man later recanted his statements. Clash voiced the friendly red muppet for 28 years. In a statement, Sesame Street workshop said, “This is a sad day for Sesame Street.” [Deadline]

It looks like CBS’ decision to cancel Partners was the right move as the network’s airing of a repeat of Two and a Half Men garnered 6.4 million total viewers – a 17 percent increase over the canceled comedy. Fellow CBS sitcom, 2 Broke Girls, also saw an increase in ratings by six percent. ABC’s Dancing With the Stars saw the night’s largest audience with 14.1 million viewers. Meanwhile, NBC’s The Voice fell 16 percent in the ratings, but led the ad-coveted 18-49 demographic despite performing at a season low. [TVLine]

Buddy “Cake Boss” Valastro is bringing in some guest stars for the premieres of his two TLC shows, Next Great Baker and Cake Boss. On the special 90-minute premiere of the competition show, Next Great Baker, the 13 pastry chefs will step up to the challenge of making a groom’s cake for The X Factor Host Mario Lopez. Meanwhile on Cake Boss, Valastro will be tasked with creating a life-size replica cake of Golden Girl Betty White in just 24 hours. Next Great Baker and Cake Boss premiere on Monday at 9 and 10:30 PM respectively on TLC. [TLC]

FOX’s The X Factor host Mario Lopez has some extra time to relax now that one of his hosting gigs, America’s Best Dance Crew, is coming to an end. MTV is canceling the Randy Jackson-produced dance show after seven seasons from 2008 to 2012. [THR]

E! has renewed Married to Jonas for Season 2. The show, which features Kevin Jonas and his wife Danielle, is produced by Ryan Seacrest productions. The second season will follow Kevin and his brothers as they finish their new album and head back on tour. The series is set to return in spring of 2013. [E!]

ABC gave a nod to its much beloved new series, Nashville. The network ordered nine more episodes from the musical drama to complete its full season. The series is the highest watched of the network’s freshman dramas with an average 9.4 million viewers. [EW]

CBS’ Hawaii Five-0 is paying tribute to its predecessor yet again by filming an updated version of fan favorite episode, “Hookman.” The episode, which aired almost 40 years ago, won an Emmy in 1974 for Best Music Composition. Peter Weller will star on the episode as the title villain and is also set to direct the episode. [EW]

Fans of FOX’s Fringe , get excited. The Science Channel is about to broadcast the series in its entirety beginning next week on Tues. Nov 20. On Tuesday, the network will air the two-hour pilot and one episode then will air the first season in full on Nov. 23 and 24. Season 2 will begin airing the following Tuesday with three hours of Fringe every Tuesday from then on. The block of shows will include featurettes, entitled “Science of Fringe,” in which real scientists explain the phenomona tackled in the show. [EW]

Shirley Jones, the matriarch of the Partridge Family is coming to the Cul-de-Sac on TBS’ Cougar Town. Jones and her better half will buy the house next to Jules (Courtney Cox) on the condition that they are welcomed into the crew. Season 4 of Cougar Town kicks off Tuesday, Jan. 8 at 10 PM on TBS. [TVLine]

Bachelor Ben Flajnik is reportedly heading back to TV with a new series on E! The reality star is in talks with the cable channel for his own series. It will feature Flajnik and his co-workers at his Sonoma based winery, Envolve. His friends and family will also be a part of the show. [Wetpaint]

The voice behind Elmo, Kevin Clash, is taking a leave of absence. In a statement released by the Sesame Workshop, it was a revealed a now 23-year-old man approached executives in June with a claim that Clash engaged in a sexual relationship with him when he was 16. Though the company’s investigation “found the allegation of underage conduct to be unsubstantiated,” they did find him guilty of using poor judgment and breaking internet usage policies. Clash denies all allegations and issued a statement to TMZ saying, “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.” [TVLine]

ABC’s Once Upon a Time took a dive in the ratings Sunday night after three straight weeks of gains, falling a total of 23 percent with only 8.7 million viewers. Meanwhile the network’s freshman supernatural drama, 666 Park Avenue, remained steady but matched a series’ low. NBC won the night with Sunday Night Football and 18.7 million viewers. [TV Guide]

Though FX’s Louie won’t be back until Season 4, HBO has announced they will broadcast a new stand-up comedy special from Louis CK in 2013. The Emmy-winner’s special will be taped at one of his 16 stops on his sold out tour. [HBO]

Zac Efron’s most recent job – teaching patience to Elmo. The star, who can be seen in the upcoming film, The Paperboy, hit up Sesame Street this week to play basketball with everyone’s favorite red monster from the show.

Elmo is very anxious to start playing but Efron is busy trying to tell everyone the word of the day – “Patience.” As a perfect example for learning the word, our furry friend is having a tough time and needs Efron to tell him, “You have to wait in a calm way, you have to show patience.”

Efron, 24, is just one of many celebrities who are hanging on Sesame Street during the landmark show’s 43rd season. Other guest stars set during this season include Kristen Bell, David Beckham, Halle Berry and many more.

What other celebrities have shown up on the Street over the years?

Many celebs often help children learn the word of the day on Sesame Street. Emma Stone has appeared to demonstrate the word “balance” while Jude Law had fun explaining the word, “cling.” Sofia Vergara even made an appearance to describe the Spanish word “baile.”

Other stars have gone on the show to sing songs such as Adam Sandler, who made up his own song about Elmo. Neil Patrick Harris, who has appeared on the program multiple times, recently sang a song about the things that make him happy including pajamas.

To see these and more stars who have made a mark on Sesame Street click through our gallery above.

Who’s your favorite Sesame Street guest star? Sound off in the comments below!

Jennifer Garner and hubby Ben Affleck have some of the cutest tykes around, so it’s no surprise that the supermom stopped by the famous children’s show, Sesame Street, to hang with Elmo.

In the clip, Jennifer and Elmo practice stretching and show off the most important stretch of all: a hug!

Check out the adorbs video below:

What celeb would you like to see stop by Sesame Street? Hit the comments and let us know!

While the world waits to see how Ryan Reynolds fills out Green Lantern’s heroic tights, the Van Wilder donned a more comedic costume for a very special and educational episode of Sesame Street.

Reynolds transformed himself into a giant purple A recently to join Elmo and the gang in a jolly tune extolling the importance of the first letter of the alphabet. Refreshingly innocent, really, when compared to some other recent Sesame Street segments.

Peep Reynolds’ letter-perfect performance in the video below. What do you think “A” stands for in Reynolds’ case? Let us know in the comments section.

Katy Perry’s chest may have been too much for Sesame Street, but it’s fodder for funny for the folks over at College Humor.

The video features a reimagined version of “Teenage Dream,” guiding us through a lesson in “addition”.

Check out the video below.

What do you think about Katy Perry’s fake return to Sesame Street?

Elmo has found a new playmate—and unlike his last buddy, this one knows how to dress appropriately for a children’s show.

Following Katy Perry‘s cleavage-heavy but ultimately aborted Sesame Street segment, Parks & Recreation funny-lady Amy Poehler—who, perhaps not coincidentally, served as host to Perry’s musical guest spot on Saturday Night Live last weekend—has filmed a get-together with the tickle-friendly Muppet.

The theme of the segment? The definition of the word “challenge.” As in, “For some people it can be a real challenge to recognize skin boundaries while entertaining and educating the nation’s youth.”

Check out Poehler’s play-date with Elmo below. Do you think it’s a good replacement for Perry’s appearance? Let us know in the comments section.

Katy Perry busted out a funny response to her ban from Sesame Street on the season premiere of the NBC sketch comedy over the weekend.

With her Sesame appearance scrapped after parents complained about her cleavage-baring dress, musical guest Katy plunged even further into taboo territory, wearing a snug, low-cut Elmo t-shirt during a skit with Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph.

Katy played – who else? – Brooklyn teenager Maureen DeChico, who reads to teenagers at the local library despite her racy attire. Check her out here c/o NBC:

Katy also performed her ubiquitous “California Gurls,” but earned some jeers for the quality – or lack thereof – in her vocals. Judge for yourself here:

Katy’s guest-starring gigs won’t end with SNL and Sesame. Entertainment Weekly reports Miss Perry will appear as herself in a live-action Christmas-themed episode of The Simpsons that will feature Homer, Bart and company as puppets. Happy Holidays indeed!

How do you rate Katy’s SNL performance? Sound off in the comments.

The parents of the world might have given a thumbs-down to Katy Perry‘s abandoned Sesame Street appearance, but her co-star and play-date partner, Elmo, is demanding a second shot at the “Teenage Dream” beauty.

Perry’s planned guest spot on the venerable children’s show, which featured the chanteuse and the furball frolicking about while singing a variation on Perry’s hit single “Hot N Cold,” was axed by PBS after the clip surfaced online and sparked a barrage of complaints over Perry’s exposed cleavage. But Elmo, ignoring the moral outrage, vowed to Good Morning America this morning that he and Perry’s ample bounty will meet once again: 

“We’ll have another one. Elmo loves Ms. Katy and we had a good time. So we’ll have another play date.”

Despite her upcoming nuptials to British funnyman Russell Brand, Perry seems equally game for a do-over. Yesterday the singer tweeted, 

“Wow, looks like my play date with Elmo has been cut short! If you still wanna play see it at www.katyperry.com Tag you’re it, Elmo!”

Check out Perry’s yanked Sesame Street appearance below. Too sexy, or just sexy enough? Render your verdict in the comments section.

Katy Perry isn’t going to let Sesame Street keep her (or her cleavage) from singing with Elmo.

The “California Gurls” songbird caused an outrage when she filmed a skit with Elmo while wearing a fairly revealing top. After parents complained about Katy’s skin, Sesame Street was forced to pull the skit. Luckily for Katy fans, she isn’t going to let a little setback like this keep her from dancing with Elmo.

“Wow, looks like my play date with Elmo has been cut short,” tweeted Katy, “If you still wanna play see it at katyperry.com, tag you’re it, Elmo!”

Watch the contraband video below.

Meanwhile, Katy’s fiance, Russell Brand, found some humor in the situation. “Today’s Sesame Street will NOT be brought to you by the number 34 or the letter D,” tweeted Russell, referring to Katy’s bra size.

What do you think of Katy’s boob tube controversy? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Katy Perry is getting kicked off Sesame Street! 

TMZ reports that cleavage-baring Katy’s performance of ‘Hot N Cold’ will be cut from the New Year’s Eve broadcast due to backlash from parents who found it too hot for children’s television. Among their complaints? Katy’s low-cut dress detracted from her revamped rendition of ‘Hot N Cold,’ which was directed at Elmo.

“They’re going to have to rename it cleavage avenue,” one parent reportedly said.

Check out Katy’s Sesame Street appearance here:

TMZ also points out that Katy’s dress is something of an optical illusion. While it seems she’s wearing a flesh-baring spaghtetti-strap number, Katy’s frock is technically high-necked, her cleavage “covered” with sheer nude fabric. Had all that see-through material been filled in, we’d be ringing in the New Year singing the ABC’s with Katy!

Hey, at least Russell Brand probably liked it.

Do you think Katy’s Sesame Street style is too hot for kids’ TV? Weigh in via the comments.

After the seemingly debauched goings-on of her bachelorette party over the weekend, it’s nice to see Katy Perry in a more wholesome environment.

The “I Kissed a Girl” singer recently lent her many talents to venerable children’s series Sesame Street, dueting with beloved Muppet Elmo on a revamped version of her hit “Hot ‘N Cold,” in order to teach television-viewing youngsters the very important difference between, well, hot and cold. Fun, educational and, yeah, just a little bit sexy—something for everyone!

Check out Perry’s trip to Sesame Street in the video below:

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