As the clown craze sweeping the Carolinas continues to generate headlines, those who don the greasepaint for a living are feeling the heat.
Professional clowns Joseph and Lisa Brown lamented to North Carolina TV station WFMY that their business has been decimated by the hoopla surrounding the mysterious harlequins haunting the region.
Once performing at nearly ten events a week, the Browns' calendar is now barren thanks to the clown panic.
The downturn has been so dire that the Georgia couple is even considering hanging up their floppy shoes and calling it a clowning career.
With a combined total of nearly 40 years in the industry, it's a stunning and troubling thought to consider.
But for the Browns, who say they are afraid to leave their house in costume, the rising public sentiment against clowns is no laughing matter.
"What would we run into?” Joseph wondered to WFMY, "would we be pulled over by the Sheriff or police? Would we be chased down by somebody?"
Sadly, those upsetting scenarios very well may unfold for the Browns and, as such, their alter egos Jazz and Jojo remain housebound with the panic reaching a fever pitch in recent days.
Both angry at the nefarious individuals besmirching the image of clowns as well as saddened that such a fate would befall their beloved profession, the Browns see little recourse but to hope the hysteria fades away soon.
Given the surprisingly long history of phantom clown crazes and the couple's dedication to the craft, we're pulling for them to emerge from this latest storm with their painted smiles intact.
Source: WFMY Greensboro