Over the weekend, the beloved red furry character Elmo from Sesame Street found himself at the center of a deeply disturbing cyber attack. His official X account with over 650,000 followers, which normally spreads messages of kindness and positivity like – “Elmo will be right here cheering you on” , was sadly hijacked and manipulated to broadcast hateful, antisemitic, and racist comments — alongside disturbing references to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The hack, that occurred on Sunday, sent shockwaves around the internet, as fans of the popular puppet were confronted with content that completely stood at odds with the values Elmo always represented. Among the abusive messages were many antisemitic threats such as “K*ll all Jews,” slurs targeting multiple communities, and speculative demands for the US government to release more information regarding Epstein’s death, a case that has sparked conspiracy theories even after the FBI confirmed his suicide in 2019. Although the posts were deleted within an hour, screenshots spread rapidly across the internet. To make the matter worse, Elmo’s account began linking to a Telegram channel where someone claimed responsibility for the hack, which made people even more sure that it was a targeted, politically driven cyberattack.
Sesame Workshop Responds Swiftly
Sesame Workshop, the non-profit group that runs Sesame Street, strongly criticised the event in a public statement that said –
“ On Sunday, Elmo’s X account was briefly hacked by an outside party, in spite of the security measures in place. 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”
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Though the offensive tweets were promptly removed, the event highlighted concerns about how effortlessly even credible, verified accounts may be harmed, particularly those associated with children’s media and family-friendly platforms. As of Monday evening, Sesame Workshop said that they were still working with X to fully restore the account and protect it in the future.
A Disturbing Trend of Hacks on High-Profile Accounts
Over the past year, several high-profile X accounts, including those of politicians, media outlets, and tech platforms have been under such scrutiny. Adding to this dilemma, even X’s own AI assistant, Grok, made headlines last month for generating antisemitic content which ultimately raised questions about the platform’s moderation systems under Elon Musk’s leadership.
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This incident also highlights the increasing vulnerability of verified accounts on X, particularly those affiliated with established companies and public figures with a large number of followers. This emphasises the importance of stronger security standards and moderation mechanisms, particularly for accounts geared towards children and families.
What Comes Next?
As Sesame Workshop continues to investigate, many are calling on X to improve its account security infrastructure. Some experts have recommended mandatory two-factor authentication, real-time AI threat detection, and clearer escalation channels for compromised accounts.
Meanwhile, Elmo has returned back to its own habitat with the same heartwarming innocence he’s always shared. On Tuesday, Elmo sent his first post to his fans after the hack and it says – “Thank you for being kind to Elmo and all the people in your neighborhood. Elmo loves you.❤️”
