Reporter Mike Balsamo has an error in his Associated Press story about clowns: Aurora Colo. theater shooter James Holmes did not in fact dress up as the Joker during his attack (as I explain in my "Bad Clowns" book, pp. 115-119 and also in this CFI blog). There...
Bad Clowns
Spanish-language Newspaper Interviews Me on Bad Clowns!
Hola amigos! Estoy citado en un artículo de periódico "El Espanol" sobre payasos malos, es aqui: You can find more on me and my work with a search for "Benjamin Radford" (not "Ben Radford") on Vimeo.
Scary Clowns Attack MMA Fighter! (Or Not)
MMA fighter claims that he was attacked by two clowns, one armed with a sledgehammer and the other with a knife. When he saw them approach one night his martial arts training kicked in and he immediately crouched into a fighting stance. He fought them off in a valiant...
My Appearance on NPR’s “On the Media”
I was recently on the NPR show "On the Media" (10/5) talking about the recent clown panic; you can listen here...
I’m quoted in ‘The Guardian’ on scary clowns!
I'm quoted in a new article in The Guardian by Jason Wilson: "It started in Green Bay, Wisconsin. On 1 August, witnesses reported a clown walking around with black balloons. At the end of that month, in Greenville, South Carolina, a clown tried to lure some kids into...
Alabama School Panic: Is ‘Clown Lockdown’ the New Normal?
Over the past month schools throughout Alabama have been threatened by several people claiming to be clowns. Responses to the threats—many of them originating (or shared) on social media—have resulted in increased police patrols and in some cases full lockdowns....
Q&A About America’s Clown Panic
I was recently interviewed by a Spanish journalist about the clown scares sweeping the country; here’s an excerpt: Q: What is your opinion on the recent sightings of terrifying clowns in the United States and other countries? A: The scary clown panic has spread...
Why Are People Afraid of Clowns?
I'm quoted in a new LiveScience.com piece on clown scares! "But the humor of these characters wasn't always harmless. Secure in their status as jokers, royal jesters could direct amusingly insulting potshots at even the king himself, said Ben Radford, author of "Bad...
‘Utne Reader’ Publishes My History of Evil Clowns
Bad Clowns, by Benjamin Radford, blends humor, investigation, and scholarship to reveal what is behind the clown’s dark smile. This book describes the history of bad clowns, why clowns go bad, and why many people fear them. Going beyond familiar clowns such as the...
Phantom Clown Reports: Real or Rumor?
Creepy clowns have recently been reported in Greenville, S.C., allegedly luring children into the woods behind a block of apartments. It's scary and alarming -- but whether they're real is another matter. Most of the handful of reports are from children, though a few...