David Arquette Will Defy The Will Of God And Man To Resurrect Bozo The Clown

I've had a lot of absolutely bananas things on my 2021 Bingo Card be proven correct but David Arquette resurrecting "Bozo the Clown" was not one of them. Bozo is known as "The World's Most Famous Clown" and outside of Ronald McDonald, he's probably right. Bozo has been played by a multitude of different performers all across the globe, and starred on television from 1946 until 2001. As a child who grew up in the greater Chicagoland area, many of my classmates were fortunate enough (or cursed depending on who you ask) to attend live recordings of "The Bozo Super Sunday Show." It may totally shock you to hear this, but the results were pretty universally positive. I wish I were kidding, but growing up, I was so immeasurably jealous of my peers who were able to see the giant red-haired clown who gave prizes to kids who could successfully throw balls into buckets in person. 

Bozo was not just a source of nightmare fuel for generations, he was also a genuinely beloved icon. Hell, he's the inspiration for Krusty the Clown on "The Simpsons." Now, Bozo has a new owner for the first time in 65 years, and it's actor David Arquette. An acquisition 15 years in the making, Arquette recently spoke on Chicago's WGN-TV, saying "I fell in love with Bozo when I was a kid living in Evanston, Illinois." 

He continued, "Bob Bell's portrayal of Bozo was always my favorite. It just lit my heart up, and I want to bring that kind of joy to the people of the world."

As the new owner of Bozo, Arquette spoke of plans to open a museum in Chicago dedicated to the character and legacy, possibly launch new shows/films, and try to resurrect the international popularity of the character. He said, "At one point there were 200 Bozos throughout America and Mexico and Brazil, so we really want to sort of replicate that. You have to kind of think of it as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse." A Bozo multiverse isn't the most outrageous pitch I've heard this year, but it's close.

He also knows full well that people are terrified of clowns, and has made it a mission to try and revamp the culture. "There's a lot of rebuilding we need to do for the love of clowns in general," he said. "We're being really sensitive about it — there's going to be a lot of charity involved."

David Arquette has been used as a Hollywood punching bag for far too long and it is frankly undeserved. If you haven't seen the brilliant documentary "You Can't Kill David Arquette," you have homework because it is impossible to watch that film and not fall in love with such a fascinating man. Arquette isn't afraid to do things outside of the box, and reviving the image of Bozo the Clown feels both simultaneously out of left field and yet completely on brand for someone who once trained with Mexican luchadores and participated in stoplight street wrestling in Mexico to prove his love and respect for the art of wrestling. If anyone has the right combination of unstoppable passion and unpredictable special interest to achieve revitalizing the reputation of one of society's greatest fears, it's David Arquette. Check out the full interview below.