Former Crime Reporter Leaves Journalism for Professional Clown Training
John Simpson, a former crime reporter, has made an unconventional career transition by enrolling in professional clown training, joining a growing number of journalists leaving the field due to burnout and mental health concerns.
Simpson's decision reflects a wider crisis in journalism, where more than half of journalists report considering quitting their jobs this year due to burnout, with 40% having already left previous positions for the same reason. The Reynolds Journalism Institute found in a 2024 study that only 13% of current journalists and 8% of former journalists have never experienced burnout in their professional careers.
Crime reporting, in particular, takes a significant psychological toll on journalists. According to the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma, between 4% and 59% of journalists show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder depending on their beats or work locations. A 2021 Canadian Journalism Forum survey of over 1,200 journalists found that more than two-thirds suffered from anxiety, 46% reported depression, and 15% experienced PTSD over a four-year period.
The challenges facing journalists have intensified in recent years. A 2025 study revealed that 70% of local journalists experienced work-related burnout, as they are expected to produce more content across more platforms with fewer resources and less job security.
Professional Clown Training as a Career Path
Simpson's choice to pursue clown training represents more than a dramatic lifestyle change. Professional clown programs, including institutions such as the Clown Conservatory in San Francisco and Dell'Arte International, offer intensive training typically ranging from 8 to 24 weeks. The former Ringling Bros. Clown College also provided similar professional preparation.
Clown training focuses on developing presence, listening, emotional availability, and vulnerability through play. Theatrical clowning is considered a foundational acting practice that strips away habits and reconnects performers with instinct, offering skills that differ significantly from public perception of clowning.
Research shows that taking on new challenges or changing roles can serve to revitalize professional routines and regain engagement. While many journalists transition to careers in public relations, academia, or teaching, Simpson's path represents a less conventional approach to career reinvention.
The Therapeutic Value of Clowning
Professional clowning has legitimate therapeutic applications beyond entertainment. Hospital clowning, also known as clown therapy, began in 1986 when Karen Ridd in Winnipeg and Michael Christensen in New York independently started programs in pediatric hospitals. The practice is now recognized worldwide as a therapeutic intervention in healthcare settings.
Medical studies have shown that clowning reduces stress and anxiety in hospitalized patients, improves mood by decreasing sadness, anxiety and anger while increasing joy, and provides benefits to healthcare staff and families. Medical clowns are integrated into health care teams to mitigate stress, loneliness, fear, and helplessness, with reported benefits including cost-saving measures and better patient outcomes.
Simpson's career shift from documenting trauma to potentially bringing joy and healing represents a fundamental transformation in professional purpose. His journey illustrates how journalists affected by the emotional weight of their work are seeking not just different careers, but entirely different ways of engaging with people and communities.
