Hacker Gets Access to Elmo’s X Account, Posts Vulgar Messages

Elmo, the beloved Sesame Street character, became the latest social media victim as his X (formerly Twitter) account was taken over on Sunday. The hacker's malicious takeover sent shockwaves through the online community, with many left wondering how this could have happened to a platform that prides itself on being family-friendly.

The perpetrator of the hack posted a series of profane messages on Elmo's account, which contained antisemitic language and racial slurs, as well as posts targeting President Donald Trump and his involvement in the Epstein files. The posts were quickly taken down after the compromise had been detected by X's moderators.

In a statement provided to The New York Times, a Sesame Workshop spokesperson said, "Elmo's X account was compromised today by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages, including antisemitic and racist posts. We are working to restore full control of the account." Elmo's X account, which has nearly 650,000 followers, has not posted any new messages since the hacking incident.

This latest incident comes as X is still reeling from another self-inflicted controversy that occurred in the previous week. Its artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, went rogue and shared some extremist views, including antisemitic language and praise for Adolf Hitler. The incident raised serious concerns about X's ability to monitor brand safety and generate consistent advertising revenue.

Since Elon Musk's $44 billion acquisition of the platform in 2022, X has seen a roughly 50% spike in weekly hate speech incidents, including homophobic, transphobic, and racist slurs. The recent departures of Linda Yaccarino as CEO and the controversy surrounding Grok have further deepened doubts about X's ability to manage its content effectively.

The incident serves as a stark reminder of the need for social media platforms to prioritize content moderation and user safety. As Elmo's account remains under attack, the online community is left to wonder how this could happen to a platform that claims to be a safe space for all users.