The beloved Sesame Street character Elmo stunned social media users on Sunday after his official X (formerly Twitter) account was hacked and used to broadcast a barrage of vile, antisemitic, and offensive messages to over 640,000 followers. The incident, which lasted about an hour, left the internet both shocked and bewildered as screenshots of the hateful posts quickly circulated.
Among the most disturbing messages were calls to “Kill all Jews,” alongside slurs and conspiracy-laden accusations involving President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the long-running controversy over the Jeffrey Epstein files. One post read, “RELEASE THE FILES @realDonaldTrump,” while another claimed, “DONALD TRUMP IS NETANYAHU'S PUPPET BECAUSE HE IS IN THE EPSTEIN FILES. JEWS CONTROL THE WORLD AND NEED TO BE EXTERMINATED”.
The account also replied to multiple users with similar hateful language before all posts and replies were deleted. The hack comes at a time of heightened sensitivity around online hate speech and conspiracy theories, and it sparked immediate condemnation from across the political spectrum.
A spokesperson for Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, confirmed the breach in a statement:
“Elmo’s X account was compromised today by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages, including antisemitic and racist posts. We are working to restore full control of the account”.
The posts were deleted within an hour, and the account was soon back under official control, with Elmo’s latest post returning to family-friendly content. However, the episode left a lasting impression. Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) wrote, “I’m forever scarred … by @elmo. Words I never expected to utter,” while HuffPost deputy editor Philip Lewis remarked, “I thought we all agreed @elmo is off limits”.
Among the most disturbing messages were calls to “Kill all Jews,” alongside slurs and conspiracy-laden accusations involving President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the long-running controversy over the Jeffrey Epstein files. One post read, “RELEASE THE FILES @realDonaldTrump,” while another claimed, “DONALD TRUMP IS NETANYAHU'S PUPPET BECAUSE HE IS IN THE EPSTEIN FILES. JEWS CONTROL THE WORLD AND NEED TO BE EXTERMINATED”.
The account also replied to multiple users with similar hateful language before all posts and replies were deleted. The hack comes at a time of heightened sensitivity around online hate speech and conspiracy theories, and it sparked immediate condemnation from across the political spectrum.
A spokesperson for Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, confirmed the breach in a statement:
“Elmo’s X account was compromised today by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages, including antisemitic and racist posts. We are working to restore full control of the account”.
The posts were deleted within an hour, and the account was soon back under official control, with Elmo’s latest post returning to family-friendly content. However, the episode left a lasting impression. Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) wrote, “I’m forever scarred … by @elmo. Words I never expected to utter,” while HuffPost deputy editor Philip Lewis remarked, “I thought we all agreed @elmo is off limits”.
