Face tattoos and silicone brow implants turned Richie the Barber into a real-life clown: 'I'm not gonna stop clowning'
Some people might think that real clowns don’t exist. But just one look at Richie Esposito will have you thinking otherwise.
With makeup tattooed onto his face, silicone implants placed underneath his skin, and, of course, red clown hair, Esposito — aka Richie the Barber — is the closest there is to a real-life clown. And he wants people to know that it’s a lifestyle.
“It’s not makeup on my face. I decided to be a permanent clown forever,” he tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “I don’t look just like a clown — it’s a lifestyle. I am a clown.”
From a young age, Esposito says that he’s had a longtime fascination with clowns, constantly asking to dress up like one, and even starting his collection of over 200 clown figurines. It wasn’t until he started tattooing his face, however, that friends and family realized it wasn’t just a phase.
“The first time I tattooed my face, I got six tattoos at once,” he says. “When people were telling me, ‘Are you gonna regret this?’ I’m like, ‘Damn, I’m clowning for the rest of my life. I’m clowning right now. I’m not gonna stop clowning.'”
To this day, Esposito says that he clowns daily — juggling and riding his unicycle every single day. He also finds a way to bring clowning into his job as a barber — even if he sees himself as an “old-fashioned” kind.
“When I cut hair, I’m a clown. I do clown stuff,” Esposito says. “I’ll throw confetti if it’s their birthday. I’ll give them little party hats. I’ll do tricks. You gotta perform constantly. If you don’t perform, you lose it. You get rusty.”
The one part of his life where he can’t naturally clown is when he tries to teach his daughter, who is nearly 13, the same tricks.
“She’s a natural clown,” he says. “I try to teach her some clown ways, but her mom gets a little pissed.”
Watch the video above to see why Esposito says he’s living out his purpose, just by being a clown.
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