Hacked Sesame Street character’s Twitter account posts antisemitic messages
The show's producers confirmed Elmo's account had been taken over, after it posted messages calling for the murder of all Jews
The team behind beloved children’s entertainment show Sesame Street has confirmed that the Twitter account of one of its characters was hacked, after it posted viciously antisemitic messages calling for the death of Jews.
The official Elmo twitter account posted a number of hateful messages late on Sunday, including “Elmo says ALL JEWS SHOULD DIE. F*** JEWS…JEWS CONTROL THE WORLD AND NEED TO BE EXTERMINATED”. A further tweet then said “Kill all Jews”.
The posts were deleted soon afterwards, but not before they spread across the internet, causing widespread consternation.
The Sesame workshop, the American nonprofit organisation and television production company which produces Sesame Street, told Fox News: “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.”
Elmo, the red muppet character on Sesame Street best known for its high-pitched voice and referring to itself in the third person, is perhaps the most beloved character on the children’s show, known for its cheerful and loving personality. While all major Sesame Street characters have their own Twitter accounts, Elmo’s is the most popular, with almost 650,000 followers.
The account also referenced a conspiracy theory relating to the high-profile paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein, who was Jewish. Epstein was found dead in his cell after being convicted, with conspiracy theorists variously alleging that he was killed because people on his ‘list’ were afraid of being found out, or that he was a Mossad agent. After Donald Trump’s re-election, various administration officials promised to ‘release the Epstein files’, but no new information has been released, leading to conspiracy theorists alleging that Trump is afraid of information emerging.
“DONALD TRUMP IS NETANYAHU’S PUPPET BECAUSE HE IS IN THE EPSTEIN FILES”, the hacked account posted, with another tweet saying “RELEASE THE FILES DONALD TRUMP CHILD F***ER.”
The hacked account also tweeted a message supporting a cryptocurrency, and responded to criticism of the posts with messages containing anti-black racism and transphobia.
Earlier this year, streaming giant Netflix confirmed that it would be adding Sesame Street to its available shows. The 56th season of the show is due to air concurrently on Netflix and Public Service Broadcasting (PBS), the traditional home of the show, towards the end of 2025.
Keep community journalism free.
Jewish News is free for everyone. No paywall. No barriers. Just trusted journalism for anyone who wants to stay connected to Jewish life in Britain.
If you value that, please support us.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Every day, we report on the issues that matter to our community. We celebrate achievements, support charities, challenge antisemitism and ensure Jewish voices are heard more widely.
From as little as £5 a month, you can help us continue to:
- Report on the stories shaping Jewish life in the UK and beyond
- Bring our community together through shared stories, events and campaigns
- Celebrate the people, culture and moments that define our community
- Support organisations doing vital work across Jewish Britain
You can make a one-off donation or become a regular supporter. Every contribution helps keep our journalism free, independent and accessible to all.
If everyone who values Jewish News gave a small amount, it would make a real difference to our future.
