‘Forever scarred’: Elmo’s X account hacked with vile slurs
CAUTION: LANGUAGE WARNING
Sesame Street star Elmo has shocked social media users after his X account was hacked and flooded with vile slurs.
“Kill all Jews,” one post read.
“RELEASE THE FILES Donald Trump CHILD F—ER,” read another, aimed at the US President and apparently referencing the Jeffrey Epstein documents.
Hackers took over the account, which has 640,000 followers, on Sunday (US time). A flood of ugly posts followed, as well as similar language in replies to other users.
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“Elmo says ALL JEWS SHOULD DIE. F—JEWS. DONALD TRUMP IS NETANYAHU’S PUPPET BECAUSE HE IS IN THE EPSTEIN FILES. JEWS CONTROL THE WORLD AND NEED TO BE EXTERMINATED,” read one post.
The tirade came after the FBI and US Justice Department said there was no evidence to support long-held conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death in federal custody in 2019 and his alleged clientele.
Trump had previously committing to releasing the files. He changed course last week after US Attorney General Pam Bondi said there was no “client list” in the so-called Epstein files.
Conservative influencers from Laura Loomer to Elon Musk have criticised Bondi and FBI director Kash Patel over the development.
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One of the since-deleted posts on Elmo’s account. Image: X
US media, including Fox News and NBC News, have reported that FBI deputy director Dan Bongino has clashed with Bondi and is considering stepping down.
The backtrack has also caused ructions among Trump’s MAGA voter base, which he addressed in a post defending Bondi on Sunday.
“We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening,” he wrote.
A Sesame Workshop spokesperson confirmed the Elmo hack, which appeared to last about an hour.
“Elmo’s X account was compromised today by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages, including antisemitic and racist posts,” they said.
“We are working to restore full control of the account.”
By later Sunday, it appeared that had happened, with the ugly posts deleted. The latest photo showed Elmo paying tribute to his puppy Tango.
But before situation normal returned, plenty of X users had noted Elmo’s abrupt transformation.
“I’m forever scarred … by Elmo. Words I never expected to utter,” Republican senator Mike Lee from Utah wrote.
Huffington Post deputy editor Philip Lewis, meanwhile, said: “I thought we all agreed Elmo is off limits.”
