Sesame Street’s longtime voice and puppeteer of Elmo, Kevin Clash, has resigned from the PBS children’s programme, after a second underage sexual relationship allegation was made against him.

Clash joined the cast of Sesame Street as a puppeteer in 1984, voicing different characters before eventually taking on the role of Elmo permanently.

Clash said in a statement, “Personal matters have diverted attention away from the important work Sesame Street is doing and I cannot allow it to go on any longer. I am deeply sorry to be leaving and am looking forward to resolving these personal matters privately.”

Last week, a 23-year-old man accused Clash of having inappropriate sexual relations with him when he was just 16. But the man later recanted and said that they had an “adult consensual relationship.” Then on November 20, another 24-year-old man by the name of Cecil Singleton, filed a US$5million federal lawsuit against Clash accusing him of engaging in inappropriate relations when he was 15.

Sesame Workshop issued a statement that said: “Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Kevin’s personal life has become a distraction that none of us want.” The company added that the character of Elmo “will continue to be an integral part of Sesame Street”.