Professional clowns who get paid to make people smile are worried the reported creepy clown sightings are going to ruin their reputation and that they might become targets of vigilantes.
Kelly Monfort, who performs as a clown under the name Mr. Twister, lives near Greenville, South Carolina, where menacing clowns are stalking the area.
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Monfort had a gig over the Labor Day weekend that made her worry about what the clown sightings are doing to the profession.
"I walked into an event in a bright-colored hat and vest, and one of the first things someone said was, 'Oh, my God, it's a clown, it's a clown' in a frightened way," Monfort said. He's worried that clowns like himself could trigger 911 calls.
"[Next time] I'll probably ask the event coordinator to walk me into the event," he said in an interview from the South East Clown Convention.
Some professional clowns believe that people inspired by the new Rob Zombie killer-clown movie "31" or paying homage to a reboot of the movie "It" might be behind the sightings, while others think it's just a joke.
Read more on NBC News.
