There I was, scrolling through YouTube the other day, when a blast from the past popped up on the screen. There was the familiar warning I hadn’t seen in decades, followed by a flash of people repeating, “Call-Me-Now!” in that trademark Jamaican accent Miss Cleo used.
Ah, Miss Cleo. What do you remember about her? Besides appearing on infomercials encouraging people to call in for a tarot reading, I don’t remember much. I remember she provided a lot of fodder for pop culture jokes back in the day and ultimately encountered some legal issues that, surprise, surprise, involved accusations of fraud.
However, I guess you could say it was a case of “out of sight, out of mind.” I never wondered what happened to her or the Psychic Readers Network that she was a spokesperson for. But that’s what Call Me Miss Cleo, a new HBO Max documentary premiering on December 15, explores. Let’s check it out.
About Call Me Miss Cleo
Here’s the description that accompanies the documentary’s trailer:
This eye-opening documentary chronicles the rise, fall, and reinvention of revered and reviled ’90s TV psychic Miss Cleo. Featuring interviews with celebrities and those closest to the self-proclaimed voodoo priestess, the film explores the many layers behind a complicated and charismatic figure.
She wasn’t Jamaican? And she’s dead?
Did you know Miss Cleo wasn’t really Jamaican? That Youree Dell Harris, her real name, was born and raised in Los Angeles?
And I guess even though her commercials helped bring in hundreds of millions for the Psychic Readers Network, that’s who financially benefited most from the clients she helped bring in. Not her.
But she was even more enigmatic than her created persona. So who really was she? What real-life demons did she battle that led her to create the character that she did?
As a woman says at the end of the documentary trailer, “Don’t be fooled by thinking what you know is the whole story.”
It seems there’s more to her than meets the (third) eye, which I’m interested to learn about. But I was also stunned to learn she’s also since passed. Especially since she still appears in the documentary. But it must be past interviews because she died of colorectal cancer in 2016.
Call Me Miss Cleo Trailer
For More Info
Visit hbomax.com.
Check-In
What do you remember most about Miss Cleo?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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I remember her accent. I guess it was an act to gain the trust of people who thought Tarot was an exotic practice with secrets from other places.
I have to give her credit. I mean, I sort of suspected it was phony, but I bought the act. I thought she was Jamaican! lol
Hey, about that same time, I spent five years working for The Psychic Friends Network, on the graveyard shift. We were extensively interviewed on both employment history and history of our paranormal abilities, including test readings by other employees. On occasion the Network would send in a bogus client to monitor our work. We had no scripts, and had to have a dedicated separate phone line for emergencies (such as suicidal people; it happened. I think I saved several lives.) I don’t know what the other 900 services were doing, buy we were exactly what we claimed to be.
Hi Allen!!! I LOVE comments like yours and am so grateful you took the time to leave them. I had no idea whether the folks working for PRN were legit or not. That wasn’t part of the FTC lawsuit. They went after PRN for deceptive advertising, billing and collection practices. BUT it’s awesome to get this firsthand perspective from someone who worked there and learn that they did have some kind of screenings and qualifications for the advisers. Also, that they had something in place for emergency situations, like suicides. That’s phenomenal. And even more phenomenal that you were involved in helping some souls. Again, thank you so very much for sharing your experiences and personal involvement/perspective!