Sesame Street responds to vile hacking of Elmo's X account

Daily Mail​

4 days ago

Sesame Workshop has again addressed the embarrassing hack it suffered on Monday when a hacker accessed the Elmo account and posted a series of shocking posts targeting Jewish people and trolling President Donald Trump.
'On Sunday, Elmo's X account was briefly hacked by an outside party, in spite of the security measures in place,' read a tweet from the Sesame Workshop.
The statement continued, 'We strongly condemn the abhorrent antisemitic and racist content, and the account has since been secured.
'These posts in no way reflect the values of Sesame Workshop or Sesame Street, and no one at the organization was involved.'
A spokesperson for Sesame Workshop previously confirmed the digital security breach to Daily Mail on Sunday evening.
'Elmo's X account was compromised today by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages, including antisemitic and racist posts,' the rep said. 'We are working to restore full control of the account.'
Following the post from the Sesame Workshop, a number of followers on the platform peppered in responses that ranged from jokes to troubleshooting.
'I don't believe you were hacked,' said one user. 'I think the real Elmo came out.'
Another user wryly chimed in, 'Big Bird's silence on this issue has been deafening.'
One user went on a long rant at the character, saying, 'Elmo, I've been crying and throwing up ever since you posted those very hateful things.
'The truth of it is you were a role model to me growing up and because of that I would always tickle you whenever you asked.
The statement ended, 'After what happened on Sunday I was forced to throw you in the dumpster out back my local Chili's and will no longer be having you in my life. Goodbye old friend.'
Multiple users rejected Sesame Workshop's denial anyone from their side was involved.
'Sesame workshop has become beyond woke and I guarantee it was someone internal,' one user said. 'If I allowed some sort of breach like this at my job, I would be fired. @SesameWorkshop take accountability.
The user said the late Sesame Street founder Jim Henson 'would be horrified' at the lack of accountability in the wake of the humiliating security breach.
Following the post from the Sesame Workshop, a number of followers on the platform peppered in responses that ranged from jokes to troubleshooting
Another added: 'Serious question. Is anyone ever hacked by an "inside party?" Your inability to apologize MUCH SOONER is weak. But most concerning is that no one believes you were hacked.
'We believe you have an employee who did this intentionally but you haven't explained this because then, of course, we'd all want to know who did it and then expect them to be fired, etc.
'See, the longer you all don't provide details, the more the pressure grows to know more.'
The account for Elmo, under the handle @elmo, has more than 639,800 followers, and has been on the platform since November of 2012.
'Elmo lives on Sesame Street and was told to tell you that Elmo is official!' a bio line on the social media page read.
On Sunday, it was clear the account had been commandeered by rogue actors, as a series of messages posted called for violence against Jewish people.
The post repeated a series of antisemitic tropes and called for harm against Jewish people.
The post also took aim at the president, saying, ' DONALD TRUMP IS NETANYAHU'S PUPPET BECAUSE HE IS IN THE EPSTEIN FILE.'
One message tagged in President Donald Trump that read: 'RELEASE THE FILES @readDonaldTrump' along with an offensive term directed at Trump.
The hacker also peppered in more sharp responses to people who condemned the racist prank.
When one person expressed their frustration with the posts from the account, a profane response used a racial epithet aimed at Black people.
When another person said they were going to mute Elmo, a response from the Elmo account contained a transphobic slur.
The unlikely hack and subsequent shock messages led for Elmo to become a trending topic on the platform, with a number of different takes on the incident.
'Hacking the official Elmo account gotta be one of the most diabolical things this app has ever seen,' one response read.
The account for Elmo, under the handle @elmo, has more than 639,800 followers, and has been on the platform since November of 2012
One social media user said that the incident provided an insight into how deeply antisemitism is embedded in some people
A few people made reference to rapper Kanye West's history of antisemitic X posts, which he has since distanced himself from.
'Kanye and Elmo should collab sometime,' one user said, while another asked, 'Who let Kanye on Elmo's account?'
One user posted a long-circulating meme of the Sesame Street character standing in front of flames to aptly summarize the situation with the hacker.
One social media user said that the incident provided an insight into how deeply antisemitism is embedded in some people.
'This is a real tweet from the Elmo X account. It has since been deleted,' said the user. 'We're dealing with depraved immoral sociopaths who target even a beloved children's character in order to incite violence and hate against Jews.'