Accuser retracts claim he had underage sex with Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash

The man who accused "Sesame Street" puppeteer Kevin Clash of having a sexual encounter with him when he was 16, has retracted his statements.

The accuser, now 24 years old, contacted Sesame Workshop last summer and claimed that, beginning at the age of 16, he had a sexual relationship with Clash.

Kevin Clash

Clash -- the openly gay actor who voices the Muppet character Elmo -- had taken a leave of absence recently to fight the accusations, according to the Sesame Workshop, which announced Monday that their internal investigation "found the allegation of underage conduct to be unsubstantiated."

Today, Andreozzi & Associates, a law firm that said it represented Clash's accuser, said in a statement that “he wants it to be known that his sexual relationship with Mr. Clash was an adult consensual relationship.”

The statement added, “He will have no further comment on the matter.”