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Elmo Breaks Silence After Antisemitic Hack on X: “Elmo Loves You”
The beloved Sesame Street character Elmo became the unexpected center of controversy this weekend after his official X (formerly Twitter) account was hacked, resulting in the spread of antisemitic and racist messages. Now, after the vile content was scrubbed, Elmo’s team and Sesame Workshop have regained control — and the red Muppet has a message for his fans: “Elmo loves you.”
The hack, which unfolded over the weekend, shocked Elmo’s nearly 650,000 followers, as the verified account began posting graphic hate speech and politically-charged rhetoric. Among the disturbing posts was a call for violence against Jews, slurs, and bizarre references to Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump, including accusations that Trump was a “puppet” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The posts were quickly flagged and removed, and Sesame Workshop, the non-profit behind Sesame Street, released a strong statement: “Elmo’s X account was briefly compromised by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages, including antisemitic and racist content. The account has since been secured,” a spokesperson said.
Adding a warm note to the chaos, the account later posted a heartfelt message from Elmo himself: “Thank you for being kind to Elmo and all the people in your neighborhood. Elmo loves you. ❤️”
Thank you for being kind to Elmo and all the people in your neighborhood. Elmo loves you.❤️
— Elmo (@elmo) July 15, 2025
A Bigger Problem for X?
This latest incident comes as X, under the leadership of Elon Musk, faces ongoing criticism for lapses in moderation and cybersecurity. The hack follows recent AI-related scandals on the platform and the departure of CEO Linda Yaccarino, adding fuel to concerns that X is becoming increasingly unstable, even for verified and high-profile accounts like Elmo’s.
Elon Musk Sparks Firestorm by Linking Steve Bannon to Jeffrey Epstein in Explosive Accusations
Earlier this year, Elon Musk blamed a massive cyberattack on IP addresses traced to “the Ukraine area.” However, a group known as Dark Storm Team claimed responsibility, though those claims were quickly deleted.
The Elmo hack raises serious questions about platform accountability, especially when child-centric intellectual property becomes a vehicle for hate speech.
Extremely troubling
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 15, 2025
Broader Fallout and Political Reactions
Adding another twist, the incident became part of a broader political discourse. As Trump supporters debated online conspiracy theories about the Epstein investigation, Elon Musk responded to Trump’s attempt to deflect attention, writing: “Just release the files as promised.”
Meanwhile, Democratic strategist David Axelrod suggested that Trump himself may have orchestrated a recent file dump to manipulate the public narrative.
But amid the swirl of controversy and political infighting, it’s the gentle tone of Elmo that brought a moment of calm — and a reminder of what the Sesame Street universe stands for: kindness, community, and love.
