New Details Emerge in Voice of Elmo Underage Sex Case

It looks like Big Bird isn't the only character on Sesame Street making headlines this year.

Kevin Clash—the voice actor behind Sesame's fan-favorite, Elmo—has taken a leave of absence from Sesame Street to dispute claims that he had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old boy.

As reported Sesame Workshop lawyers recently met with a 23-year-old man who claims he and Clash began a sexual relationship 7 years ago—when he was 16 and Clash was 45.

TMZReports new developments in the case:

We broke the story ... Clash was disciplined by Sesame for sending a personal email from his Sesame Street email account. The email was sent to a man who now claims he had a sexual relationship with Clash when he was 16 and Clash was 45.

In the email -- sent well after the accuser turned 18 -- Clash writes, "I'm sorry that I keep talking about sex with you, its driving me insane."

He adds, "I want you to know that I love you and I will never hurt you. I'm here to protect you and make sure your dreams come true."

Clash continued, "I'll have my assistant book a ticket for you to come to NY and we can talk about this in person."