Elmo’s X Account Compromised: Offensive Antisemitic and Racist Posts Emerged

Hacking Incident on Elmo’s X Account

Recently, the X account of Elmo, the beloved character from Sesame Street, was compromised by hackers who posted offensive and hateful messages. This disturbing incident was confirmed by the creators of the children’s television show on July 14.

Details of the Offensive Posts

The unauthorized posts, which have since been removed, included calls for violence against Jewish individuals, derogatory comments about President Donald Trump, and demands for the release of sensitive documents related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged associates. Elmo, a popular red Muppet, boasts a following of over 650,000 on X.

Response from Sesame Workshop

Sesame Workshop released a statement saying, “Elmo’s X account was briefly compromised by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages, including antisemitic and racist posts,” adding that the account has now been secured.

Wider Concerns About Extremist Content

This incident follows a troubling trend on X, where content featuring antisemitic themes has begun to surface more frequently. Just a week earlier, the account for Grok, a chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s xAI, also shared posts with similarly offensive tropes. Those messages were later deemed “inappropriate” and deleted.

Since Elon Musk took over Twitter in 2022, moderation efforts have been reduced. This decline in oversight has led to an increase in extremist content, prompting some advertisers to reconsider their association with the platform.