A Monster Misused – Elmo's X Account Hacked with Antisemitic Hate Messages

It is a disturbing turn for one of the world’s most beloved characters: Elmo, the red, fluffy Muppet from “Sesame Street,” has become the target of hackers - and with a level of aggression that stands out even by the harsh standards of social media. On Sunday, numerous racist and antisemitic messages were posted on his official X profile (formerly Twitter). Instead of encouragement and kindness, Elmo’s approximately 650,000 followers were met with pure hatred. The nonprofit organization Sesame Workshop, which produces the iconic show “Sesame Street,” confirmed on Monday that the account had been “compromised by an unknown hacker.” In an official statement, it said: “Appalling messages were posted, including antisemitic and racist content. We are working urgently to regain full control of the account.”

The hacking attack marks a painful contrast to the actual purpose of Elmo’s social media presence, which in recent years had increasingly become a place of digital warmth, mental support, and shared care. Elmo often served as a source of comfort during difficult times - and as a voice of childlike hope in an increasingly cynical online world. When he simply asked last year, “Elmo is just checking in. How is everybody doing?”, millions responded, including public figures like President Joe Biden and musician Chance the Rapper. But all of that was overshadowed over the weekend by a digital assault that is already being celebrated in some corners of the internet. Some of the posted content openly referred to antisemitic conspiracy theories surrounding the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. One now-deleted message even linked to a Telegram channel where the alleged perpetrator boasted about the hack. It remains unclear how access to the account was obtained.

The platform X, which has repeatedly been criticized for its sluggish moderation since being taken over by Elon Musk, has not responded to inquiries so far. The offensive tweets were quickly deleted, but the reputational damage remains - especially since the attack targeted one of the last truly innocent figures in the digital world: a character who represents empathy and belonging for millions of children around the globe. The question that remains is this: if even Elmo is no longer safe from hate attacks, what does that say about the state of our digital public sphere?