A man behind a popular Muppets history account on X has apologized after several women accused him of inappropriate behavior and online harassment.
Joshua Gillespie, who runs the @HistoryMuppet account with his wife, Holly, admitted in a statement to the account’s 250,000 followers that he has exploited the platform to do “inappropriate things” and has “gone against everything Jim Henson stood for.”
He added, “My hope is that I learn from my actions, receive the help I need, and become the person I have pretended that I am.”
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The trouble started when Gillespie was accused of abusing the platform by a fellow The Muppets fan and collector named Megan, who posted her exchanges with the account on Instagram.
In one conversation with @HistoryMuppet, someone who is alleged to have been Gillespie responds to an Instagram story of Megan screaming on the Tower with: “Damn gurl that mouth opens wide.”
To which she responds, “Stop. I’m dead.”
@HistoryMuppet then responds, “Wut else can it do.”
Since posting about the exchange, more woman have come forward to tell Megan that they had similar experiences with the man behind the beloved account.
“It was never supposed to be something other than me expressing that, but I was met with SO MANY PEOPLE telling me they had the same experience. or worse. Some, much worse,” posted Megan in an Instagram story about Gillespie.
Megan also posted about getting a “dismissive” message from Gillespie’s wife Holly after the blowback, claiming that they “admitted to a friend that messaging me like that as an attempt to flirt.”
The couple then followed up with a joint statement posted to the account.
“We have not properly intervened when members in our own community have caused harm in defending our name. We have overstepped boundaries and ignored the hurt it caused,” they wrote. “We cannot take back what has been said and we do not offer this apology with expectations that you will accept it solely on our word.”
They added, “We will be taking a step away from posting personal content on this platform over the next few weeks to reflect on our next steps forward in bettering ourselves. This community deserves only the best.”
However, many fans of the the account flooded the statement with comments further calling them out.
“I think people deserve to know what you’re apologizing for too. Honestly, the best move may be to step down. So long as the connection to the page still exists, it may be harder for people to heal, especially those personally affected,” wrote one commentator on X.
Another on X added, “This is saying a whole lot of nothing considering the accusations you’re facing. you should stop posting entirely until you can address these issues head on and account for ways in which you’ve taken steps to better yourself. shame on you tbh!!”
Megan added in an Instagram screenshot of the apology, “I will not let him reduce it to nothing. I will not let these people be invalidated.”
Puppeteer and filmmakerJim Henson created The Muppets in 1955 with Kermit the Frog. More beloved Muppets characters were added as part of its namesake TV series, The Muppet Show, including Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, and Elmo, and characters for Fraggle Rock, including Junior Gorg, Mokey Fraggle, Boober and Gobo Fraggle.
The @HistoryMuppet account highlights Muppets history across the Muppet universe, including The Muppets, Fraggle Rock and Muppet Kids.
So far, account creators Joshua and Holly commented on whether they plan to resume operating the account.
In a statement to the Daily Beast, Megan said: “They have not reached back out at all, and have given no indication about the future of the account. I don’t think it can, or should come back from this.”
