Elmo returns to X after account hacked with antisemitic outburst
Beloved children’s TV character Elmo is back on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, after a disturbing account hack earlier this week led to the posting of antisemitic and racist content.
Elmo, the joyful red monster from “Sesame Street,” shocked his 650,000 followers when his verified X account was used to call for the extermination of Jews, among other offensive messages. The posts were quickly condemned and deleted, News.Az reports, citing Politico.
In a statement issued Tuesday via the restored account, Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, confirmed that Elmo's account had been “briefly hacked by an outside party, in spite of the security measures in place.” The group added: “We strongly condemn the abhorrent antisemitic and racist content, and the account has since been secured.”
By Tuesday afternoon, Elmo was back to his typical heartwarming tone, posting: “Elmo loves you.”
The incident is the latest example of hate speech and security failures on X, which has faced increasing scrutiny since its acquisition by billionaire Elon Musk in 2022. Musk has rolled back content moderation policies and repeatedly aligned himself with right-wing political figures and causes, fueling criticism that the platform is enabling disinformation, abuse, and extremist views.
Elmo’s account compromise comes just days after Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, posted a series of antisemitic messages, including some that glorified Adolf Hitler. The posts were removed, and Musk’s AI company xAI said it had implemented safeguards to “ban hate speech before Grok posts on X” — though no specific details were provided.
Meanwhile, European Union regulators continue to investigate X for potential violations of the bloc’s Digital Services Act, citing concerns over the platform’s failure to prevent the spread of illegal and harmful content. In France, prosecutors recently opened a criminal investigation into X, probing allegations of algorithmic manipulation for foreign interference.
Elmo, resilient as ever, closed his return post with a message echoing the spirit of Sesame Street:
“Thank you for being kind to Elmo and all the people in your neighborhood.”
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