Jim Henson’s Son Gushes Over Kevin Clash, Spongebob Is Glad He Resigned

The media fallout surrounding Kevin Clash, the former voice and puppeteer of the character Elmo on PBS’s Sesame Street, has not yet died down. In the aftermath of the sex allegations that cost Clash his job, a handful of celebrities have been supportive of his plight.

Most recently, Brian Henson and Tom Kenny have voiced their sympathy and understanding of Clash’s handling of the scandal.

TMZ caught up with Brian Henson, the son of legendary puppeteer and Muppets creator Jim Henson, at LAX. Henson the younger, who directed The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island, said that he considers Clash to be “a great, great performer” and “a wonderful professional.”

TMZ also spoke with Tom Kenny, who has been the voice of the Nickelodeon character Spongebob Squarepants since day one. Of his fellow voice actor, Kenny said that while he has never met Clash personally, he believes he did the right thing by resigning from Sesame Street.

Kevin Clash, who was instrumental in the inception and development of the Elmo character, resigned from Sesame Street last week over the continuing allegations that he shared a homosexual relationship with a minor years ago. Though the initial controversy surrounding Clash died down when his first accuser recanted his testimony, a second accuser came forward and confessed to a relationship with the puppeteer when he was 15-years-old. Clash resigned hours later.

The second accuser is seeking hefty, seven-figure damages over the sex allegations pointed at Clash.