NEW YORK, July 14 — The X account belonging to Elmo was apparently compromised, resulting in approximately an hour during which a series of antisemitic and other inappropriate posts were published before being removed.
In one of the six posts, written in Elmo’s characteristic third‑person voice, the character issued violent threats against all Jewish people, later calling President Donald Trump the “puppet” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s since “he is in the Epstein files.”
Another post addressed the US president directly regarding the alleged Jeffrey Epstein client list.
The other messages in the string, apparently authored by the same hacker, were similarly inflammatory and derogatory.
The messages were taken down following apparent detection of the breach and restoration of account control.
The most recent post now shows Elmo wishing “Happy Gotcha Day” to the dog Tango.
Elmo, the beloved Muppet from Sesame Street, typically maintains a wholesome, child‑friendly image, making the breach unusually jarring to the character’s vast and diverse audience.
On Friday, Trump urged his political base to stop attacking his administration over files related to notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a case that has become an obsession for conspiracy theorists.
Trump’s Department of Justice and the FBI said in a memo made public last week there was no evidence that the disgraced financier kept a “client list” or was blackmailing powerful figures.
They also dismissed the claim that Epstein was murdered in jail, confirming his death by suicide at a New York prison in 2019, and said they would not be releasing any more information on the probe.
The move was met with incredulity by some on the US far-right — many of whom have backed Trump for years — and strident criticism of Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel.
Many among the MAGA faithful have long contended that so-called “Deep State” actors were hiding information on Epstein’s elite associates.