“Elmo’s X account was briefly compromised by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages, including antisemitic and racist posts,” a spokesperson told multiple news outlets. In a shocking incident that left parents and fans horrified, the official X account of Elmo, the beloved red monster from Sesame Street, was hacked on Sunday, July 13, 2025, and used to spread a series of racist and antisemitic messages. The Anti-Defamation League condemned the Elmo hack as “appalling,” stating that “it’s shocking that Elmo’s official account, recognized for promoting kindness, was hacked solely to disseminate violent antisemitism”. According to screenshots circulated online before the posts were deleted, the hacker wrote messages such as “Elmo says ALL JEWS SHOULD DIE” and falsely claimed that Trump was “Netanyahu’s puppet because he is in the Epstein files”. The posts, which starkly contradicted Elmo’s usual wholesome content, included violent antisemitic rhetoric calling for harm against Jewish people and conspiracy theories about President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. Particularly disturbing was how the hacker maintained Elmo’s characteristic third-person speaking style while delivering these hateful messages, creating a jarring contrast between the beloved character’s innocent persona and the vile content being shared. As of Monday morning, the account had returned to its normal state, with the most recent legitimate post being from July 12, featuring Elmo wishing his friend Tango a “Happy Gotcha Day”. The Elmo hack serves as a stark reminder that in today’s digital landscape, no account is immune to malicious attacks, and the responsibility for protecting online spaces extends beyond individual users to the platforms themselves. The unauthorized access occurred over the weekend when an unknown hacker gained control of Elmo’s X account and posted approximately six highly offensive messages. The hack sent shockwaves through the online community, particularly affecting users who had come to rely on Elmo’s account as a source of positivity and mental health support. By Monday, July 14, Sesame Workshop had successfully regained control of the account, and all offensive content had been removed. The hack came just one week after Musk’s AI chatbot Grok generated antisemitic content, including posts praising Adolf Hitler, which the company later apologized for. The organization emphasized that they were “working to restore full control of the account” and confirmed that the account had since been secured. The organization’s swift response and clear condemnation of the hack helped reassure fans that the messages did not represent the values of Sesame Street or its characters.
This Cyber News was published on cybersecuritynews.com. Publication date: Tue, 15 Jul 2025 08:30:12 +0000