Sheldon Stephens is the aspiring model/ criminal who claimed to have had underage sex with Kevin Clash, the voice behind the beloved Elmo of “Sesame Street”, but recanted his statement last week, saying that the two had an “adult consensual relationship.”
Now, Stephens is attempting to recant his recantation and insists that he received a $125,000 settlement from Clash’s lawyers to say that the relationship started when he was an adult, rather than when he was 16 like he first claimed.
Stephens says he was pressured by Clash’s lawyers to take the settlement and that he was “literally crying during the final negotiations and repeatedly said he didn’t want to sign,” according to TMZ.
When Stephens originally took back the allegation last week, Clash said in a statement: “I am relieved that this painful allegation has been put to rest. I will not discuss it further.”
Clash denied the underage sex allegations, but admitted to a relationship with Stephens. Clash took a leave of absence from the series.
Sesame Workshop disciplined Clash for improper Internet usage, but said in a statement that the company “conducted a thorough investigation and determined the allegation of underage sex was unsubstantiated.”