Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash has resigned in the aftermath of a sex scandal, Sesame Workshop announced Tuesday.

Clash's resignation comes after allegations that he had a sexual relationship with an underaged man. The accusser - a 24-year-old man- recanted the claim last week.

"Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Kevin's personal life has become a distraction that none of us wants, and he has concluded that he can no longer be effective in his job and has resigned from Sesame Street," Sesame Workshop said.

Clash was the voice of the "Sesame Street" character for the past 28 years, according to Sesame Workshop, the organization behind the famous TV show.

The scandal also led Clash to come out as a gay man, something that he had not discussed in public previously.

"I am a gay man. I have never been ashamed of this or tried to hide it, but felt it was a personal and private matter. I had a relationship with the accuser. It was between two consenting adults and I am deeply saddened that he is trying to characterize it as something other than what it was. I am taking a break from Sesame Workshop to deal with this false and defamatory allegation," he said in a statement last week.

Clash's accusser recanted his claim last week.

"He wants it to be known that his sexual relationship with Mr. Clash was an adult consensual relationship," said the firm Andreozzi & Associates.

According to celebrities' site TMZ, Clash paid $125,000 to settle the issue with his accusser.

Clash had taken a leave of absence from Sesame Workshop. The organization conducted an investigation that led to Clash being disciplined because he had "violated company policy regarding internet usage," but said the accusations were unfounded.

Clash confirmed he'd been in a relationship with the accuser, but when the accuser was an adult.

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Read the full statement from Sesame Workshop:

Sesame Workshop Statement

Sesame Workshop's mission is to harness the educational power of media to help all children the world over reach their highest potential. Kevin Clash has helped us achieve that mission for 28 years, and none of us, especially Kevin, want anything to divert our attention from our focus on serving as a leading educational organization. Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Kevin's personal life has become a distraction that none of us wants, and he has concluded that he can no longer be effective in his job and has resigned from Sesame Street. This is a sad day for Sesame Street.