Kevin Clash, the puppeteer behind Elmo on Sesame Street, resigned this week after the second allegation of inappropriate behavior with an underage child hit in under a month.  The first accuser recanted the day after the story broke, leading some to suggest that the it was simply a money play.  However, now there is a second accuser, and the first had recanted his recant, claiming that he now wants to call off the settlement.  To make things even more confusing, the second accuser is now changing his story, moving from underage sex to dry-humping.

What to make of all this?  Well, there is the old saying that where there is smoke there must be some fire.  That said, there is something unseemly about these accusations.  The stories, at least those that are being reported, seem to change daily.  The lack of criminal charges also makes things somewhat suspect.  In this post-Penn State world, though, you can’t really blame the folks at Children’s Television Workshop for not wanting to give Clash the benefit of the doubt.  The response to these types of allegations can, and have, brought down institutions, and nobody wants to see Sesame Street go away because of the supposed actions of one person.