Overview

• Unidentified hackers seized Elmo’s X account on July 12–13 and posted antisemitic and racist content, including calls for violence against Jews.
• The breach also targeted President Donald Trump as a “marionette” of Benjamin Netanyahu and demanded release of the so-called Epstein files.
• Sesame Workshop confirmed the hack and by July 15 had fully restored the account and removed all hateful posts from its roughly 650,000 followers.
• Screenshots of the deleted messages continue to circulate online, fueling debate over the misuse of a beloved children’s character for extremist speech.
• The incident underscores broader vulnerabilities in the digital security of youth-focused brands and spotlights X’s challenges in moderating extremist content under Elon Musk’s ownership.