If you were the wealthiest individual on the planet, boasting a fortune of $718 billion and embroiled in a significant legal battle over the future of artificial intelligence, you’d likely expect your legal team to consist of the most prestigious and serious attorneys available.
Interestingly, one of the leading legal figures in Elon Musk’s ‘Clash of the Tech Titans’ face-off with fellow OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman has an unusual side occupation that might not be what you’d typically expect from a legal advisor.
This prominent attorney with a peculiar additional job is Jaymie Parkkinen. He played a central role in court during the discovery phase of Musk’s legal conflict with OpenAI and Microsoft, following Altman’s decision to transition the start-up into a for-profit enterprise.
Despite his courtroom prowess, Parkkinen has an intriguing side job—he is a clown. Yes, you read that right; Musk’s lawyer moonlights as a professional clown.
Parkkinen, associated with Toberoff & Associates, shared with Business Insider that his dual life remains a source of disbelief for his friends from both worlds.
“All of my comedy friends — none of them can believe I’m a lawyer,” he mentioned. “And none of my lawyer friends can believe I do clown.”
In addition to his legal career, he runs a workshop named ‘Clown Cardio,’ where he applies his comedic skills. However, Parkkinen doesn’t just switch roles by putting on face paint and a wig; his approach to clowning is more intellectual.
Fittingly for his legal profession, Parkkinen engages in a form of clowning that is reminiscent of the physical comedy seen in Charlie Chaplin films, blended with improvisation.
While his legal work is meticulously prepared, Parkkinen’s clowning acts are entirely improvised. He establishes expectations and rules for the audience, only to subvert them in hopes of eliciting laughter.
He explained: “When you strip away all the social masks that we all wear, if you strip away gender and politics and money and status and power, and you’re just your raw human self without all of the trappings of society — who are you? And clown tries to answer that question.”
A significant portion of his act involves metaphorical clowning. For instance, Parkkinen recounted to Insider a performance where he informed the audience he couldn’t use the letter ‘M’ for the remainder of the show, then deliberately did so to gauge their reaction.
He stated: “It kind of becomes like this juggling act, metaphorically speaking. How can I keep this show going? How can I be a believable character, but also never use the letter M? And the audience is watching closely for those kinds of cues.”
Parkkinen revealed that rather than hindering his legal expertise, his dual career as a clown has actually enhanced his courtroom performance.
He noted: “At the end of the day, it’s just about connecting with people, and so is being a lawyer. You’re connecting with a judge, a jury, opposing counsel.”