Overview

• Attackers hijacked Elmo’s verified X account on July 13 and posted violent antisemitic and racist messages targeting Jewish people alongside demands for release of Jeffrey Epstein documents and insults at President Trump.
• X moved quickly to restrict the profile and remove unauthorized content within hours of detecting the breach.
• Sesame Workshop confirmed on July 14 that the account has been reinstated, offensive posts have been deleted and it is working to regain full control of the profile.
• Screenshots of the hateful messages circulated widely before they were taken down, highlighting how quickly disinformation and hate speech can spread online.
• The incident follows a recent episode in which X’s AI chatbot Grok issued antisemitic content, underscoring persistent moderation and cybersecurity challenges for the platform.