Arts & Entertainment

Miss Cleo dies at 53

infomercial psychic had been battling colon cancer

Published

9 years ago

July 27, 2016

Mariah Cooper

(Screenshot via YouTube)

Famed television psychic Miss Cleo died Tuesday morning in Palm Beach County, Fla., after a battle with colon cancer. She was 53.

Miss Cleo, born Youree Dell Harris in Los Angeles, became an infomercial staple in the late ’90s until the early ’00s as the spokeswoman for Psychic Readers Network. The on-air personality would wear headwraps and colorful garb and use a fake Jamaican accent. Her infomercials became well known for her on-air psychic readings and famous catchphrases “You can’t fool Miss Cleo” and “Call me now.”

The calls claimed to be free, but according to the Federal Trade Commission, customers were charged $4.99 per minute adding up to an average of $60 per call. Nearly six million people fell victim to the charges. The Psychic Readers Network’s parent company reached a settlement with customers in 2002 and the Miss Cleo character retired. Harris would continue on to do private readings with clients.

In 2006, Harris came out as a lesbian in an interview with The Advocate. She told the publication coming out had always been hard for her because of people’s reactions.

“The reason it’s scary is because in my personal experience, black cultures throughout the world have a more difficult time accepting homosexuality in their family,” Harris told The Advocate.

“I have family members who will be shocked; they don’t know. I have some family members who are very close to me, and they do know. But I’ve been afraid of the wrath, of the exile. When I came out to a number of friends in the late ’80s I had a number of friends who turned their backs on me and walked away. That was really intense. I really believed they were my friends,” Harris continued.

Harris appeared in the 2014 documentary “Hotline,” which followed hotline operators and their clients. In the film, she discussed her time as a television psychic and the scandal behind Psychic Readers Network.

“What I loved watching was — and what was most poignant for me — was the connection I made with other people that were featured in the film,” Harris told IndieWire after the film’s premiere. “It really touched me. I’m tickled.”

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Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more

Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’

Published

3 days ago

January 5, 2026

Matt Minton

From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.

Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”

The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.

“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”

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Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.

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Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.

As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.