[4] He broke into the mainstream following the release of "Stupid in Love," his hit 2013 collaboration with Soyou of the girl group Sistar.

[5] On March 28, 2014, Starship Entertainment announced on their Twitter account that Sistar's Hyolyn would feature in Mad Clown's comeback track, "Without You".

[11][unreliable source] In December, he also began working as a mentor on No.Mercy, a survival show of trainees from Starship Entertainment which led to the formation of Monsta X.

[18] That year, he also participated in the seventh season of "Show Me The Money" under the alias of "MOMMY SON", donning a pink ski mask to cover his appearance.

In January 2019, Mad Clown collaborated with Stella Jang, releasing the single "No Question".

[20] Mad Clown's younger brother is film and television actor Jo Hyeon-cheol.