Underage Gay Sex Scandal Rocks Sesame Street

S is for scandal.

If you thought Mitt Romney was Big Bird's biggest problem, just wait -- things just got awkward on Sesame Street.

Kevin Clash, the 52-year-old puppeteer known as the voice of Elmo, has taken a leave of absence from the show after being accused of having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old boy 7 years ago.

Clash denies the allegations and says while the relationship did happen, it was AFTER the man, now 23, was of legal age.

According to Buzzfeed, the accuser has since hired the same firm that represented victims from the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse case at Penn State.

Sesame Workshop released a statement saying, 'Although this was a personal relationship unrelated to the workplace, our investigation did reveal that Kevin exercised poor judgment and violated company policy regarding internet usage and he was disciplined.'

They added that Elmo will continue to be a part of Sesame Street.

Let the snap judgments and 'Tickle Me Elmo' jokes commence!