In your opinion, do clowns and sadness have something in common ?

In theory, they’re just to entertain folks. In reality they’re almost a perfect example of “putting on a false face” or being fake to please others. That’s why when we call someone a “clown” it’s because they’re being goofy. It represents a false reality.

That’s certainly the case with many comedians, their private lives being in direct contrast with their comedic persona. Loads of legendary British comics have been living a life of turmoil behind the scenes, using their comedy as a mask to hide behind, tragic really.

Not to generalize about all clowns, but yes, I do suspect a person whose job is to be laughed at while hiding his face (with heavy makeup) very likely is covering for some sort of lacking or sadness in his early childhood.

Now this guy, a clown-like comic himself who in recent years has revealed his bit of darkness, was afraid of Pagliacci, one of the greatest clowns of all.

I remember reading some pop sci that said creativity was linked with depression. So the best clowns were also probably prone to bouts of depression. Meanwhile, if that’s how they payed the bills, time to paint that smile on.

Not particularly, though the “sad clown” image is invoked frequently in popular media.

Jerry Lewis was recently in the news concerning a newly discovered scene from his infamous movie about a clown who lead children to the gas chamber during Nazi Germany.
The film has only been seen in private screenings.

And there’s the song released by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, “Tears of a Clown”, inspired by the Italian opera “Pagliacci”. Pagliacci, Smokey explained, was a famous clown who was sad and lonely when he wasn’t a clown.

There’s a song by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles that clearly relates to your question at hand, so in a sense for clowns, life is a masquerade and they are would have to handle based on their environment the ridicule, criticism and possibly torment of performing and being in the spotlight, they may not enjoy it however may have to put up with it to pay the bills.