Miss Cleo Explained

Miss Cleo
Birth Date:12 August 1962
Birth Place:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Birth Name:Youree Dell Harris
Death Place:Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Known For:Phone/TV psychic
Occupation:Television personality
Other Names:Cleomili Harris, Youree Perris
Children:2

Youree Dell Harris (August 12, 1962 – July 26, 2016) was an American television personality and actress best known for portraying Miss Cleo, a spokeswoman for a psychic pay-per-call-minute service called Psychic Readers Network, in a series of television commercials that aired from 1997 to 2003.[1] Harris used various aliases, including Ree Perris, Youree Cleomili, Youree Dell Harris, Youree Perris, Rae Dell Harris, Cleomili Perris Youree, and Cleomili Harris.[2]

Early life

Youree Harris was born on August 12, 1962,[3] at Los Angeles County Hospital to Alisa Teresa Hopis and David Harris. She attended, as a boarder, Ramona Convent Secondary School, a Catholic girls' school in Alhambra, California.[4]

Seattle Post-Intelligencers Dorothy Parvaz reported that University of Southern California found no records that Harris had enrolled for four classes in 1980, as reported by People magazine.[2] [5]

Career

Seattle

In 1996, Harris as "Ree Perris", wrote a play entitled For Women Only, playing a Jamaican woman named "Cleo", in Seattle.

In 1997, Harris as "Ree Perris", produced and performed two plays with the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center in Seattle, Summer Rhapsody and Supper Club Cafe.

Her last project, Supper Club Cafe in 1997, was not successful, and she "left town with a trail of debts and broken promises", according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Some of the cast of her productions claimed that they were never paid, and that Harris "told her cast members she had bone cancer" and "her medical costs would prevent her from paying people immediately", but she wrote each actor and crew member a letter telling him or her how much money she owed them.

Psychic Readers Network

In January 1993,[6] Steven Feder and Peter Stolz (sometimes spelled: Stotz[7] Stoltz[8] Stolz[9]) started Psychic Advisors Network,[6] launched to compete with Psychic Friends Network using Philip Michael Thomas,[6] Billy Dee Williams[6] and Catherine Oxenberg.[10]

In 1997, Harris moved to Florida, met Steven Feder and Peter Stolz, Fort Lauderdale cousins behind Access Resource Services, doing business as Psychic Readers Network and took a call-taker job as reader No. 16153.[11] [12] Harris was using the Jamaican accent when she moved to Florida and began working as a tarot-reading psychic for a telemarketing center.[13] Harris was approached by Access Resource Services while working at an event in a Pompano Beach, Florida, mall and agreed to appear in an ad in 2000.[13]

"the whole point was two things: keeping people on the phone as long as possible...and...telling people what they wanted to hear"[14]
In the late 1990s, Harris began work for the Psychic Readers Network under the name Cleo. She appeared as a television infomercial psychic in which she claimed to be a shaman from Jamaica.[15] Her employers' website also stated that Harris had been born in Trelawny, Jamaica, and grown up there.[16]

The network used the title "Miss Cleo" and sent unsolicited emails,[17] some of which stated, "[Miss Cleo has] been authorized to issue you a Special Tarot Reading!... it is vital that you call immediately!" Charges of deceptive advertising and of fraud on the part of the network began to surface around this time.[18] Among the complaints were allegations that calls to Miss Cleo were answered by her "associates" who were actors reading from scripts, and that calls promoted as "free" were in fact charged for.

A tie-in book, Keepin' It Real: A Practical Guide for Spiritual Living appeared in 2001. Its authorship was attributed to Miss Cleo.[19] [20]

In 2001, Access Resource Services,[16] doing business as Psychic Readers Network, was sued in various lawsuits originating in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas,[21] Missouri,[22] [23] New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida and elsewhere, as well as the Federal Communications Commission,[24] [25]

In 2002, the Federal Trade Commission charged the company's owners and Harris' promoters, Steven Feder and Peter Stolz, with deceptive advertising, billing, and collection practices; Harris was not indicted.[26] The network had billed its victims for an estimated $1 billion.[25] Her promoters agreed to settle by paying a $5 million fine to the Federal Trade Commission, as well a combined debt forgiveness and refund checks to callers which came to a monumental $500 million.[27] [25] It emerged during a lawsuit in Florida that Harris had been born in Los Angeles, and that her parents were American citizens.

The state of Florida also sued Harris under a provision of the law that allowed spokespeople to be held liable. Dave Aronberg of the Florida Attorney General’s Office led the state’s case against her. His successor dropped the charges.[11]

After Psychic Readers Network

On 11 July 2001, Harris started a company, Waghwaan Entertainment.[28] [29]

Harris voiced the character of Auntie Poulet in the 2002 video game .[30] [31]

In 2003, the New York Daily News reported that TV music network Fuse had signed Harris as a spokeswoman.[32] In early 2005, Harris was reportedly appearing on television as Miss Cleo in advertisements for a used car dealership in Florida, according to the Broward-Palm Beach New Times.[33]

Harris offered "readings", priced from $75 to $250, and "weddings", priced from $350 and up.[34] Harris had a podcast.[35]

In September 2007, Harris released a spoken-word CD, Convicted for My Beliefs.[36]

Under the name Cleomili Harris she spoke, from Toronto, about her experiences at the Psychic Readers Network in the 2014 documentary Hotline, which focuses on the history of telephone hotlines.[37] [38] [39]

Psychic Readers Network's "Miss Cleo" lawsuits

In 2015, as Miss Cleo, Harris appeared in a series of advertisements for the General Mills breakfast cereal French Toast Crunch. The Psychic Readers Network sued on the basis that they owned the character of Miss Cleo. The advertisements were discontinued.[40]

The Psychic Readers Network sued Benefit Cosmetics, a Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey subsidiary, for using Harris as "Miss Cleo" in a makeup commercial, as the personas owner.[41] [42] [43]

Personal life and death

Harris married at age 19, gave birth to a daughter, and divorced at age 21. She had a second daughter while in her late 20s. In 2006, she came out as a lesbian.[4]

Harris developed colorectal cancer, which metastasized. She died under hospice care in Palm Beach, Florida, on July 26, 2016, at the age of 53.[19]

In December 2022, HBO Max released a feature documentary about Harris' life titled Call Me Miss Cleo.[44]

August 10, 2024, Lifetime Movie Network released a Movie of the Week titled, Miss Cleo: Her Rise and Fall. The movie is a Hillionaire Productions film, and the executive producer is Jami McCoy Lankford.

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Miss Cleo's A Valley Girl. March 14, 2002. . August 4, 2015.
  2. News: Parvaz . Dorothy . Dorothy Parvaz . March 2, 2002 . Miss Cleo left a trail of deception in Seattle . . November 18, 2006.
  3. Web site: Youree D Harris, Born on August 12, 1962 in Los Angeles County, California . CaliforniaBirthIndex.org . 26 December 2022.
  4. Web site: . Miss Cleo Comes Out . September 25, 2006. July 27, 2016.
  5. Web site: Rogers . Patrick . Hogan . Kate . The Truth About Miss Cleo: How a Privileged Girl from L.A. Became a Psychic Sensation . . . 26 December 2022 . July 27, 2016.
  6. News: Gaines . Jim . Pop Culture Phenomenon Miss Cleo Remains a Mystery . 26 December 2022 . . en.
  7. News: Strouse . Chuck . Swanson . Jess . Miss Cleo, Famed Fortuneteller, Dead at 53 Years Old . 26 December 2022 . . en.
  8. https://ag.ks.gov/docs/default-source/consumer-judgments/2001-2005/2002-c-1415.pdf?sfvrsn=9e2ad51a_4 2002-c-1415
  9. News: 2 MISS CLEO EXECUTIVES ENTER 'NO CONTEST' PLEAS . 26 December 2022 . . 2002-10-03.
  10. News: Bean . Matt . Seeing the future—or just dollar signs? . 26 December 2022 . . January 17, 2002 . https://web.archive.org/web/20021017154500/http://courttv.com/news/feature/cleo/misscleo_ctv.html . 17 October 2002.
  11. News: Former 'Psychic Network' Miss Cleo content with life away from TV . 26 December 2022 . Spokesman.com . 4 April 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090409023950/http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/apr/04/former-psychic-network-miss-cleo-content-with/ . 9 April 2009.
  12. News: Wortham . Jenna . Miss Cleo Went From Joke to Legend . 26 December 2022 . . 21 December 2016.
  13. News: Rogers . Patrick . Morrissey . Siobhan . Stambler . Lyndon . Bonawitz . Amy . Say It Ain't So, Cleo . 26 December 2022 . . March 3, 2003 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150921073913/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20139413,00.html . 21 September 2015 .
  14. Web site: Barthel . Rebecca . It Happened To Me: I Was a Telephone Psychic For Miss Cleo . xoJane . 26 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120929232721/http://www.xojane.com/it-happened-to-me/it-happened-to-me-i-was-a-telephone-psychic-for-miss-cleo . 29 September 2012 . September 27, 2012.
  15. Web site: Actress who played TV psychic Miss Cleo dies of cancer at 53. Associated Press. . July 26, 2016 . July 26, 2016.
  16. Web site: 'Miss Cleo,' TV psychic network pitchwoman, dies. Lisa . Respers France . CNN.com . July 26, 2016. July 27, 2016.
  17. News: . Phone psychics' scam follows script. December 1, 2001. 2.
  18. News: Lithwick. Dahlia. With Psychics Like These…: The lawsuits pile up for Miss Cleo. Slate.com. March 26, 2002. August 4, 2015.
  19. News: Youree Dell Harris, the TV Psychic Miss Cleo, Dies at 53. Rogers. Katie. July 26, 2016. . 0362-4331. July 27, 2016.
  20. Book: Miss Cleo . Keepin' It Real: A Practical Guide for Spiritual Living . 2001. Radar Communications. 0-9715399-0-1.
  21. News: Kansas investigating Miss Cleo's 'psychic hotline' . 26 December 2022 . . September 27, 2001 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061205043105/http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2001/sep/27/kansas_investigating_miss/ . 5 December 2006.
  22. News: 'Miss Cleo' corporations cut a deal . 26 December 2022 . . en.
  23. News: Missouri sues company behind TV psychic Miss Cleo . 26 December 2022 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20100925202356/http://articles.cnn.com:80/2001-07-25/justice/psychic.lawsuit_1_tv-psychic-miss-cleo-access-resource-services-pay-per-call?_s=PM:LAW . 25 September 2010.
  24. Web site: Access Resource Services, Inc. et al. . . 26 December 2022 . en . 14 February 2002.
  25. News: Miss Cleo Settles for $500 Million . November 14, 2002 . March 1, 2010. ConsumerAffairs.com . Consumers Unified LLC . Consumers Unified, LLC d/b/a ConsumerAffairs.com (“we” or “us”) is a licensed mortgage broker, where applicable by law, with its principal place of business located at 600 East 4th Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74120. . https://web.archive.org/web/20030421224247/http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news02/cleo_settle.html . 21 April 2003.
  26. Web site: FTC Charges "Miss Cleo" Promoters with Deceptive Advertising, Billing and Collection Practices . FTC.gov . February 14, 2002 . Federal Trade Commission . July 26, 2016.
  27. News: 'Miss Cleo' settles with the Federal Trade Commission – News and Comment . https://web.archive.org/web/20151121155003/https://business.highbeam.com/5799/article-1G1-98252920/miss-cleo-settles-federal-trade-commission . dead . 2015-11-21 . Skeptical Inquirer . 27. 2. March–April 2003 . Kevin . Christopher . 8 . August 4, 2015.
  28. News: Gaines . Jim . Old-School Psychic . 26 December 2022 . . en.
  29. Web site: Cleo's Tarot, Pyschic and Astrology Lines . misscleo-psychic.com . Total Telcom Media . 26 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20010201062700/http://www.misscleo-psychic.com/ . 1 February 2001.
  30. Web site: Clary. Mike . Psychic network accuses cereal maker of infringing on 'Miss Cleo' copyright. SunSentinel. January 16, 2016. August 26, 2015.
  31. Web site: The 11 Best GTA Supporting Characters . https://web.archive.org/web/20140913015111/http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/09/12/the-11-best-gta-supporting-characters . dead . September 13, 2014 . IGN.com. September 12, 2014 . March 2, 2016 . Reed. Chris.
  32. News: George. Rush . Joanna. Molloy . Unde-Fuse-able feud . New York Daily News . November 30, 2003 . January 8, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20031205053234/http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/141528p-125431c.html . December 5, 2003 .
  33. News: . Drink and Scoot! . Section: "Call Me, Darlin'" . . February 5, 2005 . January 8, 2008.
  34. Web site: Special Services . The Real Ms. Cleo . 26 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090221031613/http://the-real-mscleo.com/services.htm . 21 February 2009 . 2008.
  35. Web site: Conversations with Cleo . 26 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140505090246/http://www.conversationswithcleo.com/ . 5 May 2014.
  36. News: Cunningham . Jonathan . Miss Cleo, This Time for Real . 26 December 2022 . . en.
  37. News: Sowunmi . Jordan . Miss Cleo on Her Allegedly Fake Patois and Getting Ripped Off By the Psychic Readers Network . 26 December 2022 . . April 30, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140502054425/http://www.vice.com/read/we-spoke-to-ms-cleo-about-her-fake-patois-and-getting-ripped-off-by-her-old-bosses . 2 May 2014.
  38. Web site: The Elusive 'Psychic' Ms. Cleo Talks About Coming Out . Cavan . Sieczkowski . . May 3, 2014. July 26, 2016.
  39. Web site: Hot Docs Fest . Hot Docs Trailers 2014: HOTLINE . youtube . 26 December 2022 . en.
  40. News: Youree Dell Harris, who played Jamaican psychic 'Miss Cleo' in TV ads, dies at 53 . The Washington Post. July 27, 2016.
  41. Web site: Allison . Wayne . Louis Vuitton's Benefit Cosmetics Sued Over "Miss Cleo" . Allison Legal Law Firm . 26 December 2022 . en . 11 October 2016.
  42. Web site: Joseph . Samantha . Louis Vuitton's Benefit Cosmetics Sued Over Use of 'Miss Cleo' . . . 26 December 2022 . https://archive.today/20221226124337/https://www.law.com/dailybusinessreview/almID/1202769518327/ . 26 December 2022 . en . October 10, 2016.
  43. News: Walano . Rose . Real Thing: The Glorious Miss Cleo Is Now Working a Compliments Hotline! . 26 December 2022 . . 1 April 2015.
  44. Web site: Nick. Schager. 'Call Me Miss Cleo' Goes Way Too Easy on the Scamming TV Psychic. The Daily Beast. December 13, 2022. December 18, 2022.

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