Joshua JackWe’ve all heard of support animals before, whether it be a comforting dog or a reliable rabbit, but rather than a furry friend one guy opted to lean on a (human) clown to help him through a stressful situation.
Joshua Jack brought the emotional support clown along to a meeting with his employers after he received an email telling him they needed to discuss his role at the New Zealand company.
The Auckland man got a bad feeling about the meeting and as the email mentioned he could bring someone along with him for support, Jack ‘thought it was best to bring in a professional’.
Joshua JackThe employee paid $200 to hire Joe the clown, who arrived at Jack’s office dressed in a blue wig, a yellow waistcoat, chequered trousers and colourful shoes.
He attended the meeting with the apprehensive man and sat alongside him, opposite the employers. As it turned out, Jack was right about his bad feeling as the company had decided to let him go.
However, the clown proved his worth as, according to the New Zealand Herald, he blew up balloons and twisted them into a series of animals throughout the meeting. When it came time for the employers to hand over Jack’s redundancy paperwork, the emotional support clown mimed crying to inject a bit of humour into the situation.
A while ago, I got a job. A short while later, I lost it. For anyone who hasn’t been fired, what happens is they…
Posted by Joshua Jack on Thursday, September 12, 2019
In an interview with local radio station Magic Talk, Jack admitted the emotional support clown was a bit distracting from time to time but overall he stood by his decision to bring in the character, who entertained both himself and his employers.
He commented:
It was sort of noisy, him making balloon animals, so we did have to tell him to be quiet from time-to-time.
Jack said his bosses at the advertising agency were grateful he decided to ‘spice up the meeting’ and ‘could see the humorous side.’
Joshua JackHe added:
He was $200 so basically he was, I assume, one of the best clowns in Auckland. I definitely recommend bringing Joe or another clown. Highly recommended.
[The employers] were getting a free service and also getting the entertainment from Joe the clown.
I mean, I did get fired, but apart from that it was all smooth running.
Though Jack’s time at the company came to an end after the meeting, the New Zealand Herald report he landed on his feet and has since been hired elsewhere.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to [email protected].
Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.