Overview

• The breach unfolded from July 13 to 14 when an unknown hacker hijacked Elmo’s verified X account and posted antisemitic, racist and conspiracy-laden messages.
• Sesame Workshop confirmed the breach in a statement to press outlets and had the account secured by Monday afternoon.
• Offensive posts urged violence against Jewish people, demanded the release of Epstein files and labeled President Donald Trump a puppet of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before being swiftly removed.
• Despite deletion of the tweets, circulating screenshots have fueled condemnation from the Anti-Defamation League and other advocacy groups.
• The incident underscores ongoing cybersecurity vulnerabilities and content moderation challenges on X under its current ownership.