Sesame Workshop was trying to get full control of its ELMO account on the X platform on Monday after hackers gained access and posted racist and anti-Semitic messages.
“Elmo’s X-account has been compromised by unknown hackers who posted nasty messages, including anti-Semitic and racist posts. We are working to regain full control of our account,” a spokesman for the Sesame Workshop said Monday. The Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit behind “Sesame Street” and Elmo.
The account was violated over the weekend, and instead of the usual posts of encouragement and kindness, Elmo’s 650,000 followers were given anti-Semitism threats and profanity references to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation. These tweets were quickly deleted, but Elmo’s account maintains a link to the telegram channel from users who take hack credits.
X did not respond to requests for comment immediately.
Elmo’s social media accounts have recently become a place for mental health awareness. Last year, the eternal 3½ red fuzzy monster caused a sensation when I asked, “Elmo is just checking in! What is everyone doing?” It prompted responses from then-President Joe Biden and Chance the Rapper.
Original issue: July 14th, 2025, 10:36am EDT
