Man walks into firing meeting with an unexpected plus-one — a clown he hired for 'support'

Losing a job is undeniably stressful, but one man turned the situation into an unforgettable experience. Josh Thompson, a copywriter from Auckland, New Zealand, suspected he was on the chopping block when he received an email from his employer requesting a meeting to "discuss some matters in regards to his role." The ominous tone left little doubt about the meeting's purpose. Following New Zealand law, which allows employees to bring a "support person" to such discussions, Thompson decided to take an unconventional approach, according to a report by the Good News Network.

Aware that layoffs were sweeping through his company, Thompson figured his days were numbered. Instead of inviting a family member or even a support animal to the meeting, he spent $200 to hire a professional clown as his support person. Yes, a clown. The bold move injected a dose of humor into an otherwise grim moment, and his decision left both HR and the internet talking.

This unexpected twist turned what could have been a demoralizing experience into a memorable story of resilience and creativity.

"Joe" the clown came prepared for the meeting despite the "gig" being different from his usual ones. He brought in balloon animals and reacted mindfully. The employee shared, "He nodded his head along when I received the bad news as if he was also receiving the bad news." "Professionalism at its finest, really," he said, per BBC. Joseph Brosnahan, the 26-year-old Auckland actor and freelance videographer who called himself 'Joe' the clown, also shared his side of the story.

For this "gig," he said that his employer, Amazing Kids Parties, had told him that there was a "very unusual request." "They said 'Feel free to say no to this because it's pretty out there but there's this guy who's apparently got word that he's going to be fired and he's allowed to bring a support person with him," Brosnahan told New Zealand Herald. "And as a joke, he'd like to bring in a clown. Would you be up for doing that?' And I just thought that sounded so hilarious I couldn't resist."

Brosnahan said there was no pre-planning, and the employers remained serious throughout the meeting. "They weren't playing around with it and meanwhile, I was just sitting there in a clown costume," Brosnahan explained. "I just kind of went with the flow and did some of my balloon twisting and a few animals for them." He added that he made sure not to do anything offensive during the meeting as it was a serious situation. 

Thompson has since started a new job with another advertising company. When he was asked what led him to bring in a clown, he said, "There's not much to it really. I thought it'd be funny, so I did it. They took it well. It was me getting fired, not them, so how badly can they take it." Though Thompson and Brosnahan have not been in touch since the meeting, the employee recommended hiring a clown as support for any such redundancy meetings. "If you've got family, friends, stepmums, stepdads, stepkids, bring them by all means," he said. "But if there's a clown available, especially Joe, I'd definitely recommend it."

This article originally appeared 3 months ago.

This article originally appeared 1 month ago.