During last night’s episode of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver took a deep dive into the world of psychics and broke down why it’s not only a bullshit scam that exploits people for money but an industry that does real harm to people who are either looking for answers or victims of crimes. After outlining the two main techniques psychics use to manipulate people — called “cold reading” and “hot reading” — Oliver points out that psychics’ profits and success are thanks to decades of daytime TV programs and networks like TLC giving it legitimacy. “This surprisingly large, often predatory industry relies on popular culture to lend it credence and validity. To put it another way, every time a psychic makes a grieving widow cry on Dr. Oz, ten con artists get their wings,” Oliver says. “And that is a problem because there will always be people who feel an urge to reach out to psychics in their time of need.”
Thankfully, Oliver created the perfect solution: free psychic readings whenever you need them. Wanda Jo Oliver, John’s psychic wife who looks a lot like SNL alum Rachel Dratch, recently got into some trouble with the law, so thanks to a court-ordered settlement she’s now been forced to share her gift with the world for free. So instead of enabling the psychic industry, just head over to WandaJoTheFreePsychic.com whenever you’re looking for some guidance from now on. Oliver’s guarantee: “We promise it will be exactly as accurate as any psychic reading that you would pay money for.” Finally, there’s a work-around against supporting the people Oliver calls “unscrupulous vultures” and “attention-seeking parasite[s] who feed off personal tragedy like a human-sized deer tick.”
