Elmo’s official account on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) was hacked, resulting in a series of antisemitic slurs and politically charged messages, The Sun reported. Although the offensive posts were quickly deleted, users had already taken screenshots and shared them widely.

The account of the beloved Sesame Street character, which has existed since November 2012 and has over 640,000 followers, was used to post derogatory content, including criticism of President Donald Trump, with his official X profile tagged in the messages.

A spokesperson for Sesame Workshop—the organization behind Sesame Street—confirmed to The Daily Beast that Elmo’s account had been compromised.

“We unequivocally condemn the content that was posted. It was appalling,” the spokesperson said. “We are working to fully restore control of the account.”
Although the offensive posts have been removed, users on X continued to comment under Elmo’s last unaffected post—a cheerful photo from July 12 featuring his puppy Tango, with the caption: “Elmo is so happy to have a fluffy friend like you!”

Many replies referenced the incident, with one user asking, “So we’re just pretending nothing happened, Elmo?”

This isn’t the first time Elmo has been part of an unusual online moment. Earlier this year, a fake LinkedIn post surfaced claiming Elmo had been “laid off” after 45 years on Sesame Street, following an executive order by President Trump targeting public broadcasters like PBS, the longtime home of the children’s show.

At the time, Sesame Workshop also dismissed that viral LinkedIn post as false.

Elmo first appeared as a minor character on Sesame Street in 1980 and became a core member of the cast in 1985. | BGNES