Elmo's verified X account was hacked Sunday, prompting a stream of shocking and offensive messages that included antisemitic, racist and transphobic content. The breach left Sesame Workshop scrambling to regain control of one of its most recognizable characters.

A spokesperson for Sesame Workshop confirmed the security breach to the Daily Mail, calling the messages "disgusting." The rep said, "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."

The account, @elmo, has more than 646,800 followers and has been active since 2012. On Sunday, however, it began posting violent rhetoric directed at Jewish people, along with attacks on Black and transgender individuals. One message said, "DONALD TRUMP IS NETANYAHU'S PUPPET BECAUSE HE IS IN THE EPSTEIN FILE," while another tagged the former president with the message, "RELEASE THE FILES @realDonaldTrump," along with a slur.

Offensive Replies Stir Outrage

In replies to concerned users, the hacker continued to escalate. One response used a racial slur aimed at Black people.

Social Media Reaction

While some users responded with jokes and disbelief, many called out the hateful content and pointed to a deeper problem. One comment read, "This is a real tweet from the Elmo X account. It has since been deleted. We're dealing with depraved immoral sociopaths who target even a beloved children's character in order to incite violence and hate against Jews."

Others compared the incident to past controversies involving Kanye West, whose own X posts once included antisemitic comments. "Who let Kanye on Elmo's account?" one person asked. Another posted, "Kanye and Elmo should collab sometime."

Though the offensive tweets were quickly removed, the backlash was immediate and intense. Sesame Workshop has not confirmed when it expects to regain full access to the account, and the hacker's identity has not been revealed.

Tags
Elmo, Sesame Street, Twitter