The Commercial Break Presents: After The Break — TV Psychics & The Rise of Psychic Scams

Date: October 24, 2025
Host: Bryan Green

Overview

In this debut “After The Break” special, Bryan Green dives deep into the bizarre, lucrative, and often exploitative world of TV psychics and mediums. While the flagship show (“The Commercial Break”) is known for loose banter and improvisational comedy, this spin-off takes a more investigative angle, examining why psychic mediums remain so popular, the dubious tactics behind their alleged powers, and the cultural phenomena around TV’s most infamous psychics, from Ms. Cleo and the Psychic Friends Network to daytime TV’s Long Island Medium.

With Green’s trademark irreverent, self-aware humor, the episode blends skepticism and curiosity as it traces the industry's evolution, profiles key “characters,” and explores both the psychological appeal and social consequences of psychic entertainment in America.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bryan’s Introduction to TV Psychics

• Setting the Stage: Bryan recounts his own introduction to the genre: stoned and eating snacks in the '90s, he stumbles on a Ms. Cleo infomercial.
  • “[Ms. Cleo] wasn't the first TV psychic, but she's one of the most notorious. The company she worked for… made millions and millions of dollars using the image of Ms. Cleo to convince people to call and spend $3.99 a minute…” — Bryan (03:13)
• Nostalgia & Satire: The episode kicks off with Bryan’s signature “mediocre comedy podcaster” self-deprecation and pop-culture references.

2. A Brief History of Mediums & Psychic Quackery

• Ancient to Victorian Times: Bryan outlines the human need to contact the dead, from ancient Greek oracles (“hotboxing themselves in volcanic fumes… sounds like Burning Man in a sandstorm”) to Victorian seances and fraudulent Fox sisters.

  • “Two sisters cracking their toes and claiming to speak with the dead. In 2025, they either have a show on A&E or a million-dollar FootFinder account.” — Bryan (06:37)

• 20th Century Media Boom: With the rise of radio and TV, psychics found a new stage—Jean Dixon claims to have predicted JFK’s assassination (as well as numerous failed predictions).

3. The Infomercial Era: 1-900 Numbers and Ms. Cleo

• Psychic Friends Network:
  • Michael Lasky and Dionne Warwick front the infamous Psychic Friends Network, raking in over a million calls a month at $3.99 per minute. “That’s a lot of money to find out who your soulmate might be.” — Bryan (08:36)
  • “Imagine being alive in a time when O.J. was on trial for murder and Dionne Warwick was pitching you $3.99 per minute phone calls for fake psychic services. That’s just what friends are for.”
• Ms. Cleo:
  • Real name: Yuri Del Harris; fake Jamaican accent, not the boss, just the pitchwoman.
  • “Ms. Cleo was not Jamaican, wasn’t a millionaire, and wasn’t running the scam. But she became the symbol of TV psychic culture…” — Bryan (13:15)
  • After the FTC crackdown, the network paid out $500 million in settlements and debt forgiveness. Ms. Cleo herself wasn’t jailed, went on to small voiceover work, and died in 2016.

4. Prime-Time TV Psychics: John Edward, James Van Praagh and “The Parlor Trick”

• Cold Reading Explained:

  • Bryan breaks down how TV mediums like John Edward craft their “hits,” using broad leading questions and careful audience management.
  • Key Segment and Quotes:
    • “Did your loved one ever breathe? Do you know anybody who ever took a breath?” — Bryan satirizes the vagueness of psychic cold reads (17:25)
    • Highlighted multiple audio/video failures of John Edward and James Van Praagh, showing how they shift and pivot when wrong.
  • Memorable Example [19:20]: James Van Praagh fails in multiple rapid-fire guesses (“Did your mother have trouble with her legs? No. Your father? No. …Who had the chair?”), then moves on at the first sign of error, seeking someone else in the crowd.

• Behind The Scenes Tactics:

  • Posits that production teams plant information, staff feed psychics through earpieces (especially with Teresa Caputo’s signature big hair covering her ears).

5. Daytime TV’s Dark Side: The Sylvia Browne Debacles

• Sylvia Browne’s Harmful Influence:

  • Chronicles Browne’s long-running, damaging statements on missing persons cases, particularly telling parents their missing children were dead when they were, in fact, alive.
  • “This reaches beyond prognostication … This is reaching out into reality and ripping the literal hearts out of terrified, traumatized human beings.” — Bryan (28:20)

• Lack of Accountability:

  • Montel Williams features Sylvia despite repeatedly failed or damaging “predictions,” refuses comment when asked for accountability.

6. Teresa Caputo: The “Long Island Medium” and ‘Relatable’ Psychic TV

• Origins & Persona:

  • Caputo’s “gift” didn’t manifest until adulthood; trained with a local “spiritual teacher.” She’s styled as an everymom, not a mystic, bringing big hair, big nails, and a brash Long Island accent.
    • “I literally died when you told me that joke.” — Caputo, lampooning her own use of “spirit” and “literally” (32:55)
  • Her popularity contrasts with Ms. Cleo: Caputo is presented as harmless, providing comfort (if sometimes fishy cold reads), but Bryan points out the cycle of vulnerability, belief, and repeat business.

• Questionable Methods & TV Magic:

  • Bryan speculates about earpieces, information plants, and TV production pre-selecting “random” encounters for maximum drama.
  • Quote: “I’ve always had a sneaking suspicion Teresa may have her own earpieces and staff working hard behind the scenes to fill her in.” (43:15)

7. The Industry Today: Stats, Trends & Societal Shifts

• America’s Psychic Obsession:
  • Americans spent $2.3 billion on psychic services in 2022, including $338 million for phone services.
  • “These are not grandmas in the Appalachians... The majority of users are under 30. 24% of 18 to 25 year olds say they consult tarot cards annually. 51% of teenagers say they do that.” — Bryan (45:50)
  • More women than men use psychics, and users are predominantly college-educated, middle-income.

8. Bryan’s Take & Final Thoughts

• Expresses skepticism but remains open to evidence for actual psychic ability:

  • “If in fact there is a person on this earth who can communicate with our dearly departed, they are either the best kept secret ever for really good reasons, or they would be the most famous person on earth for really good reasons.” (52:55)
  • Notes the troubling trend of people turning to mediums for real mental health or emotional support instead of therapists.

• Capitalism, Comfort, or Con?

  • Distinguishes between the harm of false hope and the harmlessness of comfort, but expresses frustration at lack of scientific rigor and the industry’s exploitation of people’s vulnerabilities.

• Closing Reflection:

  • “...until one of those ghosts that keep piggyfronting Teresa Caputo pulls that wig right off of her head during a live taping of the Kelly Clarkson show, I’m just not buying what the TV psychics are selling.” (55:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “That’s just what friends are for.”
  — Bryan on Dionne Warwick pitching hotline psychic services (08:39)
• “Two sisters cracking their toes and claiming to speak with the dead. In 2025, they either have a show on A&E or a million-dollar FootFinder account.” (06:37)
• “I wish I had the answer as to why psychics are so incredibly popular, but when I consulted my psychic, she didn’t have the answers either.” (47:52)
• “This is not a psychic reading. This is a guessing game. And done correctly, it looks pretty impressive.” (22:38)
• “If your mom has passed and your dad has passed, and then I had this other father figure that we need to talk about…” – John Edward’s style cold read, as showcased by Bryan (18:39)
• “She’s a walking oxymoron. Says one thing, then says another, does one thing, then does another. Whatever fits the moment, whatever gets the job done, whatever makes you believe that she should be believed.” – Bryan on Caputo (42:56)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:13: Bryan’s first encounter with Ms. Cleo and intro to psychic TV culture
• 06:00 - 07:30: Comic history of mediums and Victorian fakes
• 07:35 - 09:00: Rise of 1-900 numbers and Psychic Friends Network
• 13:20: Ms. Cleo becomes a household name and FTC downfall
• 14:15 - 18:00: John Edward and cold reading exposed, including multiple “psychic fails”
• 19:20 - 22:10: James Van Praagh’s “parlor trick” bombed live
• 27:00: Sylvia Browne’s disastrous effect on grieving families on daytime TV
• 31:00: Teresa Caputo’s background and transition to TV
• 35:01: Questionable tactics, earpieces, and production “plants” for TV mediums
• 45:50: Modern stats — psychic industry size and changing demographics
• 52:55: Bryan’s skeptical but open-minded personal stance

Conclusion

Bryan Green’s “After The Break” offers a lively, laugh-out-loud yet pointed exposé of the TV psychic world—a $2 billion industry built on human longing, creative stagecraft, and sometimes, predatory tactics. He skillfully weaves skepticism, humor, and cultural critique, leaving listeners entertained, better-informed, and asked to question: when it comes to TV psychics, are we seeking comfort, connection, or just a good show?