Sensing the End, Employee Brings Support Clown to Meeting

When Joshua Jack was invited to a meeting by his bosses to "discuss your role" at a New Zealand ad agency, he figured what was up. So he invited not a friend or family member to come along for support; he hired a professional clown for $200. The clown created animal balloons during the meeting, as you would, and mimed crying when Jack was given the layoff documents, per the New Zealand Herald. It might seem unnecessary for someone losing a job to spend money as he went out the door, but, "I decided I'd need the best support person available," Jack posted on Facebook, per Fox News. Also, he thought there was a chance the meeting was about a promotion.

The balloon process made noise, and the other people at the meeting told the clown to be quiet at times, per the Washington Post. The agency, which has cut jobs since it lost a Vodafone account, did not comment on the clown's presence. Jack said he assumes everyone enjoyed being entertained by Joe the Clown. And he was left with not just the memory, but with unicorn and poodle balloons. Since that meeting in Auckland, Jack has landed on his feet: He starts a job at an agency in Australia next week. (More clown stories.)