Before Kevin Clash became a controversy, he was an anomaly. He was a history-making black performer in a world that was mostly white, and became the voice behind Elmo, one of the most loved figures in child entertainment. Clash has since been rocked by several accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior with several underage boys. The allegations led to Clash’s resignation from the show last year.
Nonetheless, Clash took home three Emmy Awards last week at the Daytime Entertainment Creative Arts show. In total, Clash took home awards for his work as executive co-producer of Sesame Street, which won for Outstanding Pre-School Children’s Series; Outstanding performer in a Children’s Series; and he shared another award for Outstanding Directing in a Children’s Series.
Clash hasn’t been heard from publicly since the scandal broke, so he didn’t accept the awards in person. But his wins pretty much sum up the competing sentiments about him: talented, troubled, and ominously absent.