There are few villains as malevolent as the stereotypical “stage mother,” but 14-year-old Ariel Winter of “Modern Family” has one who really takes the poison apple.

In October, a judge granted temporary custody of Winter to her sister, Shanelle Gray, after finding sufficient evidence of physical and emotional abuse by their mother, Chrystal Workman.

Now a crew member of “Modern Family” has told TMZ how much the entire production staff “hated” Workman.

According to the source, Winter’s mom would tell her that her ears were too big and that she was ugly, and she forced her to eat nothing but egg whites and raw vegetables. The matron “watched her like a hawk,” and seemed preoccupied with her earnings.

When her daughter was filming “The Chaperone,” Workman reportedly demanded her own director’s chair, and she would listen to each take through headphones and then pick apart her daughter’s performance.

Winter’s sister is now seeking full custody and she just might get it, considering that she herself was removed from her mother’s home 20 years ago and placed into foster care. Looks like Workman may just have to yell at the TV set.

Was Elmo falsely accused?

The Associated Press is reporting that the man who accused 52-year-old Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash of having sex with him when he was a teenager now says that wasn’t the case after all.

The man, who has not identified himself, now says his sexual relationship with Clash was adult and consensual. He released his statement Tuesday through a law firm in Harrisburg, Pa.

On Monday, it was revealed that Clash had taken a leave of absence from “Sesame Street” after allegations came to light that he’d had a relationship with a 16-year-old. Clash denied the charges from the man, who is now in his early 20s.

Clash had maintained all along that the relationship had indeed occurred but was “between two consenting adults.”

He issued a statement of his own Tuesday afternoon, saying he was “relieved that this painful allegation has been put to rest.”

Got scoops or Bay Area celebrity sightings? Email scoop@sfexaminer.com.

Quick Takes

• INXS has officially broken up. (Yeah, we didn’t realize they were still together either.)
• Brandi Glanville of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” bitchily joked that LeAnn Rimes went to “Tweehab,” which is “rehab for social media anxiety.”
• A judge removed the punitive damages from tycoon Steve Wynn’s lawsuit against “Girls Gone Wild” creator Joe Francis, hacking away $21 million. Don’t worry, Francis still has to pay Wynn $19 million in damages for defamation.
• Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson canoodled at the premiere of “Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2” on Monday.