Sesame Street character Elmo's online account was illegally accessed by unauthorized individuals. - Sesame Street's Elmo's online account compromised by hackers
In a shocking turn of events, the profile of Elmo from the beloved kids' show "Sesame Street" on the social media platform X was hacked over the weekend of July 14, 2025. The unknown hacker posted a series of offensive messages, including antisemitic slurs, racist content, and calls for violence against Jews. The posts also referenced demands for the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, a controversial figure whose death sparked conspiracy theories.
The hacker mimicked Elmo’s typical habit of referring to himself in the third person while posting these hateful messages. The posts were quickly removed after appearing on the platform, but access to the account was still being restored as of the following Monday. Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind "Sesame Street," condemned the attack and stated they were actively working to regain control of Elmo's account.
Elmo, who is described on the "Sesame Street" website as enthusiastic, friendly, and curious, has nearly 660,000 followers on X. He is known for spreading joy and promoting positive values to children around the world. The hacking incident is the latest example of troubling content moderation challenges on X, which has faced rising hate speech issues since Elon Musk's acquisition, including previous controversies involving antisemitic language from X's AI chatbot, Grok.
"Sesame Street" first aired in Germany in its original version in 1972, and the first airing of the dubbed version was in 1973. The show debuted on US television in 1969 and has since broadcast over 2,900 episodes. The hacking attack on Elmo's profile occurred in Germany, but no new information about the identity of the hacker was provided.
The offensive posts, which targeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, sparked outrage and condemnation from media outlets, including CNN. Sesame Workshop reiterated their commitment to promoting a safe and inclusive environment for children and urged parents to discuss the incident with their children.
As the investigation into the hack continues, Sesame Workshop and X are under pressure to improve their content moderation policies and prevent such incidents from happening in the future. The hack on Elmo's profile serves as a reminder of the importance of online safety and the need for social media platforms to take a stronger stance against hate speech and offensive content.
The Commission, in light of this hacking incident involving Elmo's social media account, has been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of workers (like the moderators at X) from the risks related to exposure to online hate speech and offensive content, such as the content published during the hack on Elmo's account. Amidst the general news about the hack, the entertainment industry, including crime-and-justice reporters, are closely monitoring the ongoing investigation to understand the motivations behind the hack and whether it contains any connection to the demands for the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
