About Jefferey Cornett

Jefferey Cornett is a multidisciplinary artist, author, and veteran creative executive whose career spans more than four decades across music, media, public relations, and visual art. Though widely known in his early years as a children’s television host—yes, he really was a clown on TV—Cornett has spent his life engaged in a far more enduring pursuit: creating meaning, shaping narrative, and ensuring that, in every artistic or professional endeavor, there is “there there.”

Cornett’s artistic foundation began at home. His father, Don Cornett, possessed remarkable creative talent that he never fully pursued, but he instilled in his son a devotion to craftsmanship, emotional expression, and the discipline required to make art that matters. That legacy is reflected throughout Cornett’s work, which unites intuition, technical skill, and a deep respect for the power of aesthetics.

In the 1990s, Cornett became a beloved presence on American television as “Zap,” the big-hearted host of JellyBeans, a children’s game show created for Hearst Broadcasting’s Emmy Award–winning initiative Harmony in a World of Difference. His role extended beyond entertainment: through his work, he championed diversity, education, community storytelling, and social connection. During this period, he was honored by numerous organizations—including the American Cancer Society, Special Olympics, Parents Without Partners, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association—in recognition of his commitment to public service and positive cultural impact.

Before devoting himself fully to visual art, Cornett built a distinguished creative career behind the scenes, serving as a Chief Creative Officer and strategic leader in entertainment, sports, retail, and cause-driven marketing. He guided national campaigns for Fortune 500 brands, professional athletes, motorsport icons, and philanthropic initiatives, shaping narratives that informed, inspired, and influenced audiences across the country. His work consistently demonstrated a belief that creativity is not merely ornamental but catalytic—capable of shifting culture and moving people toward deeper understanding.

Cornett’s visual art continues this philosophy. His collections—The Orange and Black Collection™ and The American Spirit Series™—are represented exclusively by The Distelheim Gallery™, where he serves as Partner and Creative Director. Known for their emotional intensity, layered symbolism, and bold graphic presence, his works transform the overlooked and the discarded into arresting visual statements about resilience, memory, and human connection.

His career in storytelling began in music. After touring nationally, Cornett was discovered by country music legend Eddy Arnold, who introduced him to renowned manager Gerard Purcell—whose clients included Engelbert Humperdinck, Jay Leno, Al Hirt, and Maya Angelou. Under Purcell’s guidance, Cornett worked with leading producers and songwriters in New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville, honing an ear for rhythm and emotional cadence that still informs his visual compositions.

At the height of his early music career, Cornett made a defining personal decision: he stepped away from professional performance to care for his first born daughter, who was born eight weeks premature with a serious congenital heart condition requiring surgery on her first birthday. It was the first of many pivotal moments in which he chose purpose over prestige. Today, he is the proud father of three daughters.

Cornett later expanded his creative path into public relations and high-level media consulting, serving as an executive producer, strategist, and media trainer for a wide range of clients. Among his most memorable collaborations was a series of branding initiatives with Hollywood producer Gerry Chamales (The Irishman), and a high-profile wildlife conservation campaign that included coordinating the transcontinental relocation of a young black rhino from New South Wales, Australia, to the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Texas.

As a creative entrepreneur, Cornett has led multiple agencies and directed numerous projects from inception to becoming publicly traded ventures. His work combines vision with stewardship, consistently uniting bold concepts with meaningful social impact.

His forthcoming memoir, Yes, I Used to Be a Clown on TV. Now I Make Art, is a candid, sharply observed, and deeply human account of his evolution from performer to creator, from the television studio to the art studio—a story of reinvention, reflection, and reclamation of purpose.

Cornett is also the co-founder, with Lisa Distelheim Barron, of FC: Because There Is No Plan B™, an emotionally driven storytelling platform born from his Stage IV cancer diagnosis. Blending memoir, advocacy, design, and documentary narrative, FC seeks to illuminate what it means to live urgently, love fully, and build a legacy rooted in truth and creative courage. The book and platform will debut in 2026.

From stages and recording studios to boardrooms, hospital rooms, and finally the contemplative space of the canvas, Jefferey Cornett’s life and work reflect a singular throughline: a relentless commitment to transforming experience into meaning. His artistic and creative journey is not one of reinvention alone, but of resonance—an ongoing effort to understand, to communicate, and to leave something enduring behind