Muppet History was a bright spot online — now it’s embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal

For years, a fan-run account called Muppet History has been central to the Muppets fandom. It shared little-known facts, memes, and wholesome messages, amassing half a million followers on Instagram and more than 280,000 on X. Publicly, it was a wholesome and sweet platform, a passion project that took off. It became an unofficial ambassador of Jim Henson’s iconic cast of characters — inside and outside the world of diehard fans.

But on Monday night, a post on the account’s Instagram page had an ominous tone. “Good Evening,” the message started. “We wanted to take a moment to address some concerns that have arisen as of late.” The vague post — on which comments had been disabled — mentioned “overstepped” boundaries, the “harm” caused, and that people were made “uncomfortable.” It did not specify exactly what had happened.

Since that post, however, a rough sketch has come into focus. Fans claim that Muppet History’s co-runner Joshua Gillespie, who operates the account with his wife, Holly, was sending unwanted sexual messages to other people. Now, it’s gone from a bright spot on the internet to another soured piece of online culture, leaving a small community navigating the fallout. 

The Muppets fandom, like many others, is relatively small and insular. Many of the people involved know each other, swapping jokes, memes, and other content in online spaces created by and for fans. But Muppet History transcended the fanbase. Celebrities and other public figures — from musicians like Kacey Musgraves to the official Sesame Street account on X — follow the account, and even nonfans regularly encounter its posts. While it was mainly devoted to Muppets, it periodically broke into conversations about mainstream politics, posting in support of LGBTQ+ communities, voting rights, and anti-racism. It’s simultaneously a window into one of countless online microcommunities and a familiar kind of social media semi-celebrity, currently facing a familiar kind of fall from grace.

The Gillespies and Muppet History aren’t directly affiliated with Disney, which acquired the Muppets franchise in 2004. But they’re a full-fledged online operation that also has a presence on Facebook, Patreon, and YouTube, devoted to “continuing the spirit and silliness of Jim Henson.”

“They just appeared to be a friendly Muppet account who was sharing positivity and [saying], ‘Be kind to one another and look out for each other,’ ‘We care about you,’” Megan Maloney, a fellow Muppets fan who runs the account @malonespops, told The Verge. “Just giving these messages of validation to people, and making them feel like they could trust that account and that that account was like a safe space, in a way, because a lot of people have that connection to the Muppets.”

But Maloney says Muppet History’s sweet public image did not extend to private conversations. After the “generic” apology posted by Muppet History, Maloney decided to go public. 

Screenshots shared on Maloney’s Instagram account show one exchange from October, in which Muppet History responded to a photo of Maloney on a rollercoaster. Maloney says her mouth was open wide because she was screaming, but that Muppet History messaged her, “Damn gurl that mouth opens wide,” with a laughing emoji.

“I’m not a person of conflict, I can admit I am a people pleaser, and I don’t like to set up harsh boundaries,” Maloney told The Verge. She responded laughing, trying to keep it innocent, she says. But afterward, Muppet History sent another private message reading, “Wut else can it do,” with a smirking emoji, which Maloney did not respond to. 

A few weeks after receiving the message, Maloney shared the screenshot of the conversation with a small group of close friends on Instagram. The screenshots were leaked and reposted publicly on X. After that, she says, “the floodgates opened” in her inbox.

“People found out that I was talking about this, and they just started coming to me and confiding in me,” Maloney says. They said they received messages “begging for nude pictures to depicting sexual acts and telling them they would like it … just really nasty comments from a Muppet account, and from [Joshua Gillespie’s] personal account.”

Another Muppets fan, who asked to remain anonymous due to fear of professional repercussions, told The Verge that Gillespie had been sending them flirty and sexual innuendo-filled messages since January. The two were internet friends, but the fan says that Gillespie’s private messages had an “over friendliness” to them. They shared screenshots with The Verge containing months’ worth of sexual jokes about pegging, oral sex, and sex toys.

At the time, the fan didn’t realize that other people were also allegedly receiving similar messages. They brushed it off, not because they felt threatened, but because they were trying to be kind. “I think I was more-so scared of hurting his feelings,” they say. “You assume that it’s just someone who doesn’t understand boundaries. You kind of want to ward them off and reject them without being mean.”

It wasn’t until the fan learned that other people in their orbit were allegedly receiving “sex stuff” from the Muppet History account that they say their perspective on the messages changed.

“That was the moment that I realized it’s not just me and that he’s socially awkward,” the fan told The Verge. “He’s doing this to multiple people, and it’s intentional, and that’s where it sort of flipped for me.” After that, the fan began being more “blunt” in their responses to Gillespie, with more curt messages.

“You’ve got Kermit the Frog clout. Like, what makes you think that you can do this kind of thing?” the fan says. 

It’s not clear how many people may have received unwanted sexual messages from Gillespie, who did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Verge. But it was clearly enough to prompt the apology. On X, Holly Gillespie also acknowledged that she had “approved of” the messages from the Muppet History account “based on past flirtatious interactions.” The apology states that both will be “taking a step away from posting personal content” online.

It might sound odd to describe a Muppets fan account as powerful, but it occupied a prominent role in a passionate community. Fans like Maloney have huge collections of toys and other memorabilia, attend fan-organized events, and connect with other collectors. They’re part of the kaleidoscope of modern fandom, a collective cultural powerhouse leveraged by companies like Disney, which have spent decades consolidating beloved fictional worlds under their brands. “You can’t deny that they have a huge platform, a very large following, an audience that’s very loyal to them and what they’re posting,” Maloney says.

On Thursday, the Muppet History account replaced its original apology with a more specific, detailed message.

“Throughout my life I have overstepped boundaries in friendships and relationships through lies, manipulation, and sexually inappropriate comments. I own all of that,” the note, signed by Joshua Gillespie, reads. Gillespie also writes that he is “scheduled to begin seeing a therapist” and plans to pursue “any other psychological treatment” he needs.

The whole ordeal has created a ripple effect in the larger Muppets fandom. The organizers of the Muppetwt Awards — a fan-created event honoring members of the fandom — announced on X that they were stripping Muppet History of its past honors, including the “2024 Most Wholesome on Muppetwt” award. @frankozfacts, an X account centered around the Muppets performer, wrote that it “does not support the actions of Muppet History and finds him to be quite a disgusting person.” Other less serious complaints about the account have come out, too — Maloney’s post describes “so many” people who reached out about Joshua Gillespie “being belittling, talking down, telling someone even they aren’t a real Muppet page.”

Maloney says she wants the Muppet History accounts to be deactivated and shut down on all platforms. She’s insulted not just by the initial vague apology but also by the image of kindness that now feels like a facade.

“We’re a bunch of happy people trying to spread a happy message, and those two were just absolute wolves in sheep clothing,” Maloney says. “They portrayed themselves like they were a part of that, and they could not have been more against the message that they were putting out.”

But Maloney still finds joy in the Muppets fandom: after sharing her experience publicly, she says her Muppets community has rallied around her and other people who have spoken out. “So many people were immediately in support of me and backed me up, and gave me the courage to come out with [my experience],” she says.