Sesame Workshop says Elmo actor Kevin Clash resigned, calling sex allegations “distraction.”

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Sesame Workshop says Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash has resigned from “Sesame Street” in the wake of allegations that he had sex with an under-aged youth.

Last week a man accused Clash of having sex with him when he was a teenage boy, a charge Clash denied. A day later, the man recanted his charge. A lawsuit by a second accuser was filed Tuesday, according to attorney Cecil Singleton.

Sesame Workshop called the controversy surrounding Clash’s personal life “a distraction that none of us want” and led to his decision to leave the show.

Clash created the voice and persona for Elmo, who has become one of “Sesame Street’s” most popular characters.