Celebrity Television Psychics – Real or Not?: Are These TV Seers and Communicators with the Dead Genuine?

What's impressive about television psychics is the number of times they’re seemingly right or spot-on during a reading. But it's important to note that psychic ability can only be tested and evidenced in parapsychological laboratories under strictly controlled conditions. Celebrity psychics and followers say their readings and communication with the dead evidence the authenticity of TV psychics.

Television Psychics Repertoire of Tricks

When it comes to television psychics, there are several tricks of the trade. The three most commonly used ruses are:

• Hot or warm readings are when psychics have secretly gathered information about the subject before the show, including eavesdropping, research and bribing people to give them little known data about the subject.
• Cold questioning or reading is a psychological mind game in which fast-talking psychics try to gather information by asking questions while appearing to know more s/he does.
• Editing film enables psychics’ tricks. The goal is to present entertaining shows. Poor readings, wrong guesses and interaction with uncooperative people are cut. Remarks are edited out of sequence.

Sylvia Browne – Queen of Television Psychics

Browne charges $850 for a “reading” that lasts about twenty minutes. She was a regular on Montel Williams’ TV show. After Browne gave her readings, Montel told the audience there would be a follow up to prove she was right. There were never any follow-up shows aired.
In fact, some say that Browne's accuracy rate is no higher than chance. She's also come under fire for giving medical advice to people and blatantly contradicting physicians’ opinions, which is illegal and a violation of the psychic’s ethics code.

Browne has been the subject of intense controversy after providing false information to families of missing people. Sylvia Browne told kidnapping victim Shawn Hornbeck’s parents that he was dead, described the killer and his vehicle; after the reading, she allegedly called his parents and offered to help for a fee. It was ultimately determined that Shawn had been kidnapped; he was alive and he was reunited with his family. When confronted about the incorrect reading, she shrugged it off.



There is said to be evidence that indicates that Browne is a plagiarist; she’s also a convicted felon. Item in Articles People vs Brown: In 1992, she “paid the remaining $10,000 in restitution and was sentenced to one year of probation for selling securities without a permit in a scheme that cost two investors $20,000.”

John Edward – Prince of Television Psychics

The star of his own show, Crossing Over, John Edward claims he can communicate with the dead, but skeptics say that he’s adept at cold and hot readings. According to Joe Nickell, in his article, “John Edward: Hustling the Bereaved,” Skeptical Inquirer, November/December 2001, Volume 25.6, Dateline caught him in the act of performing a hot reading. He was filmed saying spirits were telling him to recognize Anthony. The cameraman signaled that that was his name. But Edward and Anthony were chit-chatting hours before while filming another show. 

Edward engaged the camera man in seemingly idle chit-chat from which he gathered information that he pretended to receive from spirits.

Edward had another trick that was exposed. While the audience was waiting to be shown to their seats, his aides engaged the people in conversation and had them fill out cards with family history and other data. People were led to their pre-assigned seats. There was about an hour of lag time, due to “technical problems” before the show was filmed so Edward could study the cards. 

There are also reports that people have secretly taped shows, which were then compared to the televised versions. Wrong readings were cut and words were taken out of sequence.

James Van Praagh – Knave of Television Psychics

Van Praagh claims he can communicate with the dead; he had his own TV show, Beyond with James Van Praagh. When Van Praagh was on 20/20, he was openly frustrated in trying to read a a man in the audience named Peter, no last name given, who didn’t give him any feedback. Finally, he asked him about someone named Charlie; Peter indicated that he knew no one named Charlie. A woman seated behind Peter yelled that Charlie was the name of her family dog who had died recently. Van Praagh immediately turned his attention toward her and said he could see Charlie and “Dad” walking together in Heaven.

When Van Praagh's series was filmed, others secretly taped the shows. He told a woman her husband told him she almost died, then went on to babble about Jesus. The woman was Jewish, but this was cut from the aired show. Van Praagh also made an error while on the Howard Stern Show promoting his TV movie. He said Chandra Levy's body would finally be found, at which time he was informed that her body had been recovered two years prior. Van Praagh giggled nervously and abruptly changed the subject.

What These Celebrity Psychics Have in Common

Many believe that Van Praagh, Browne and Edward are an insult to genuine psychics. The trio uses cold questioning and without generous editing, their hit rate is average or below average – no better than chance. There's evidence to suggest that they twist things around to appear that they are right, while poor readings and misses are cut from the televised shows.


When publicly confronted with information on incorrect readings and allegations of trickery, these television psychics shrug it off, then change the subject or angrily deny it. Many opponents claim that television psychics are primarily motivated by money. Though Browne has one “accomplishment” that distinguishes her from the others – she’s the only convicted felon.