Sesame Workshop regains control of Elmo’s hacked X account after racist posts

By Canadian Press on July 14, 2025.

Sesame Workshop regained control of its Elmo account on the X platform Monday after a hacker gained access and posted a string of racist and antisemitic messages.

“Elmo’s X account was compromised by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages, including antisemitic and racist posts,” Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind “Sesame Street” and Elmo, said in a statement Monday.

The account was compromised over the weekend and instead of the usual posts of encouragement and kindness, Elmo’s 650,000 followers were given antisemitic threats and a profane reference to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation. Those tweets were soon deleted.

X did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Elmo’s social media account has lately become a place for mental health awareness. Last year, the red fuzzy monster, eternally 3 1/2, caused a sensation when he asked: “Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” It prompted responses from then-President Joe Biden and Chance the Rapper.

The Associated Press