In the late 1990s, a charismatic figure emerged on late-night television, captivating audiences with her bold predictions and vibrant personality. Youree Dell Harris, better known as Miss Cleo, became the face of the Psychic Readers Network, a hotline that promised insight into the future and guidance in matters of love, career, and life. Let’s take a nostalgic look back at her influence and the phenomenon of psychic hotlines during an era defined by infomercials and captivating television programming.
Early Life
Youree Dell Harris was born on August 12, 1962, at the Los Angeles County Hospital to Alisa Teresa Hopis and David Harris. She attended Ramona Convent Secondary School, a Catholic girls’ school in Alhambra, California. Despite her ambitions, records indicate that Harris did not enroll at the University of Southern California, contrary to claims made in various media outlets.
Career Beginnings
Before her rise to fame as Miss Cleo, Harris, under the alias “Ree Perris,” began her career in Seattle, where she wrote and produced plays. In 1996, she created a play titled For Women Only, which featured a character named Cleo, a clear predecessor to her later persona. After producing three plays, Harris left Seattle amid allegations that she had taken grant money from the Langston Hughes Advisory Council, leaving some of the cast and crew unpaid. Although she claimed to have left to distance herself from a bad relationship, she often told colleagues she had bone cancer and would eventually pay them.
Harris moved to Florida, where she responded to an ad seeking telephone operators for the Psychic Readers Network. Taping a commercial in character as Cleo for $1,750, she then agreed to monitor a phone line for a set wage, making between 14 and 24 cents a minute, which she later claimed was on the higher end.
The Rise of Miss Cleo
The image of Miss Cleo became synonymous with psychic phenomena. The woman sat behind a table, tarot cards in front of her, a turban wrapped tightly around her head. In Jamaican-accented patois, she invited viewers to benefit from her gift of second sight. “Call me now,” Miss Cleo would say, and she would reveal all.
Her infomercials featured dramatic testimonials from callers seeking answers to pressing questions, primarily about love and relationships. Mostly, respondents wanted to know if a lover was cheating on them, but there was no limit to Miss Cleo’s divinity. She spoke with as much wisdom about financial concerns as she did sibling rivalries. However, the challenge lay in time: Miss Cleo could connect with only a fraction of the people seeking her guidance, leaving callers in the hands of potentially unqualified operators.
From 1997 to 2002, Miss Cleo was a virtually inescapable presence on television—the embodiment of a carnival stereotype that annoyed native Jamaicans, who bristled at her exaggerated accent. Despite this, her approach proved effective: roughly 6 million calls came in to Miss Cleo over a three-year period, generating approximately $1 billion in telephone charges.
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How Much Money Did Miss Cleo Make?
At the height of her fame, reports estimated that Miss Cleo made around $5 million annually from her work with the Psychic Readers Network. Despite her significant contribution to the company, she claimed to earn just 24 cents a minute, or approximately $15 an hour. Many viewers were unaware that she was born in Los Angeles, not Jamaica, and that her late-night infomercials promising psychic assistance were largely performance art.
What Company Did Miss Cleo Work For?
Miss Cleo was the face of the Psychic Readers Network, a company founded by Steven Feder and Peter Stolz, operating as Access Resource Services. The network, which featured a team of psychics offering their services to callers seeking advice and guidance, became notorious for its controversial practices.
In 2002, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charged the company’s owners and Harris’ promoters with deceptive advertising, billing, and collection practices. While Harris was only briefly named in the Florida lawsuit before being dropped, the allegations and subsequent controversies significantly impacted her reputation.
The Impact of the Psychic Readers Network
The Psychic Readers Network tapped into a cultural zeitgeist characterized by a fascination with the mystical and the unknown. Miss Cleo’s infomercials became a staple of late-night television, often airing during times when viewers were seeking entertainment and comfort. The blend of drama, testimonials, and Miss Cleo’s engaging presence resonated with audiences, turning her into a symbol of 90s pop culture.
However, the network faced serious allegations as customers began to dispute their phone charges. The FTC launched an investigation after reports surfaced that callers often received bills totaling hundreds of dollars, despite being told the first three minutes were free. The complaints revealed that many operators were reading from scripts and keeping callers on the line for as long as possible to maximize charges.
In a complaint and subsequent settlement, the FTC ordered $500 million in debt forgiveness and imposed a $5 million fine on the companies involved. Psychic Readers Network and Access did not admit to any wrongdoing, but the fallout left a stain on Miss Cleo’s legacy.
Miss Cleo’s Legacy
Even after her infomercials faded from the airwaves, Miss Cleo’s influence continued to thrive in pop culture. Memes, references in television shows, and discussions about her impact on the psychic industry have kept her memory alive. Many people remember her not just as a psychic but as a source of entertainment and comfort during late-night hours.
After her peak fame, Harris recorded a voice for the character Auntie Poulet in the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. She also offered private psychic sessions, charging between $75 and $250. In 2014, she returned to the spotlight, endorsing French Toast Crunch cereal, which led to legal disputes over her use of the Miss Cleo character, with Psychic Readers Network claiming ownership of the persona.
Personal Life and Death
Harris married at age 19 and had two daughters, divorcing at age 21. In 2006, she came out as a lesbian. Sadly, she developed colorectal cancer that metastasized, leading to her death on July 26, 2016, at the age of 53.
Harris’ life was later the subject of the HBO Max documentary Call Me Miss Cleo in December 2022 and the Lifetime Movie Network’s Miss Cleo: Her Rise and Fall, which premiered on August 10, 2024.
