Miss Cleo

Youree Dell Harris was an American television personality and actress who became a pop culture phenomenon in the late 1990s as Miss Cleo, the flamboyant psychic spokeswoman for the Psychic Readers Network. With her flowing robes, dramatic gestures, and thick Jamaican accent, she turned late-night TV commercials into must-see entertainment. Her catchphrase "Call me now!" became part of the cultural lexicon, and her ads aired endlessly from 1997 to 2003.

Harris passed away on July 26, 2016, at the age of 53, after a battle with colon cancer. Her legacy endures through documentaries, films, and a devoted fanbase that celebrates her camp appeal and queer icon status. She remains a symbol of 1990s television excess, remembered with both affection and curiosity about the woman behind the persona. [edit]

Born on August 12, 1962, in Los Angeles, California, Youree Dell Harris had early aspirations in theater and acting. She was involved in stage work and had connections to the entertainment industry before her psychic career took off. Harris later adopted the Jamaican accent and persona for her Miss Cleo character, which she maintained for years.

The 2022 HBO Max documentary Call Me Miss Cleo pieced together her pre-fame life, exploring whether she was genuinely a "voodoo priestess" or a masterful performer. The documentary revealed that she had been working in theater and had a background in the arts. Harris reportedly expressed ambivalence about the psychic persona she created, according to those who knew her. She reportedly stumbled into the psychic career somewhat accidentally, according to reporting from People magazine following her death. [edit]

In 1997, Harris became the face of the Psychic Readers Network, starring in ubiquitous late-night commercials that made her a household name. The ads were so pervasive they became a cultural touchstone of the era. Her catchphrase "Call me now!" was parodied endlessly, and she appeared in cameos in films like Little Nicky (2000) and on the reality series The Surreal Life (2006).

The Psychic Readers Network faced fraud allegations in the early 2000s, leading to an FTC investigation over deceptive billing and false claims. Harris found herself at the center of the controversy, and the network eventually shut down. After her death in 2016, her story was revisited in the 2022 documentary Call Me Miss Cleo, and a Lifetime film titled Miss Cleo: Her Rise and Fall was released in 2024. A drama series starring Sanaa Lathan is also in development. [edit]

Miss Cleo's public image was larger than life: flowing robes, dramatic jewelry, and a thick Jamaican accent that was later revealed to be adopted. Her commercials were theatrical and urgent, with her signature "Call me now!" delivered with fierce intensity. Media portrayals have ranged from critical examinations of the psychic fraud allegations to nostalgic celebrations of her camp appeal.

Fans have embraced her as a queer icon and a symbol of 1990s television excess. The 2022 documentary Call Me Miss Cleo specifically explored her queer legacy, and fan culture includes recreating her catchphrases, sharing compilation videos, and celebrating her as a beloved figure despite the controversies. Her image remains a staple of nostalgia content on platforms like YouTube and Reddit. [edit]

Youree Dell Harris, known globally as Miss Cleo, cultivated a following defined less by organized rituals and more by widespread cultural recognition. Her supporters are characterized as a cult following driven by internet memes and retrospective analysis rather than active campaigns or fan-funded projects. While the character remains a symbol of 1990s media excess, there is no evidence of a formal, self-identifying name for her audience, nor records of fan-driven initiatives such as birthday billboards or streaming pushes typical of modern celebrity fandoms. The legacy exists primarily in pop culture commentary regarding race, performance, and fraud, with the 2022 documentary *Call Me Miss Cleo* serving as a critical re-examination rather than a fan tribute. Miss Cleo is currently evaluated by iFANN but does not hold a placement in the published Global Top 1,000 rankings or any Top-100 scope list. This status reflects that while her persona achieved ubiquity through late-night television, she has not maintained the continuous engagement metrics required for a specific numerical rank in the current global hierarchy. The absence of a formal ranking indicates a shift from active celebrity consumption to historical curiosity. Despite this lack of a current numeric position, the brand endures through licensing deals and legal disputes over intellectual property, proving the longevity of her image even without an active fanbase driving real-time popularity signals.[edit]

Miss Cleo's iconic catchphrase "Call me now!" was so memorable that it was referenced in songs, TV shows, and movies for years after the commercials stopped airing. Despite her Jamaican accent, Harris was born and raised in Los Angeles, and the accent was entirely a character creation. She appeared in the 2000 film Little Nicky alongside Adam Sandler, playing a psychic hotline operator. Her legacy as a queer icon was explored in the 2022 documentary, which highlighted her embrace of her true self later in life. A widely retold legend surrounding her career involves the revelation that the mystical Jamaican grandmother was actually a Hollywood actress performing a role, a discrepancy that became the defining story of her public image when major outlets exposed her identity in the early 2000s. Another notable moment in her lore is the massive societal conversation triggered by the exposure of the Psychic Readers Network, which shifted public perception from reverence to outrage over misleading advertising practices. Although stories of fans fainting or shutting down streets are likely conflations with other phenomena, the sheer scale of the telephone scams and the subsequent legal battles created a unique mythology of deception that persists decades later. The release of the 2022 documentary further cemented these narratives, contrasting her public success with her private struggles.[edit]

Details about Youree Dell Harris's family are scarce, as she kept her personal life private. She was born in Los Angeles, but little is known about her parents or siblings. She had no publicly documented children. Harris was reportedly close to her mother, who appeared in some interviews after her death. Her estate has been managed by her family, who have been involved in legal battles over the Miss Cleo brand. The 2025 lawsuit against A&E was filed by the "Miss Cleo Network," which is connected to her estate. [edit]

Robin "The Lady of Rage" Allen portrayed Miss Cleo in the 2024 Lifetime film, while Sanaa Lathan is set to star in an upcoming drama series. Tim Story directed the Lifetime film, and Shane Johnson and Ian Bohen co-starred. The 2022 documentary was directed by Celia Aniskovich, who explored Harris's life and legacy. [edit]

Publicly documented romantic relationships for Youree Dell Harris are extremely limited. She maintained significant privacy regarding her personal life, and no verifiable long-term marriages or publicly confirmed partnerships have been extensively documented in mainstream sources. The 2022 documentary Call Me Miss Cleo touched on her queer identity, suggesting she embraced aspects of her personal truth later in life, though specific named relationships were not detailed. As Harris is deceased, her relationship status at death was not publicly clarified. [edit]

Youree Dell Harris passed away in Palm Beach, Florida, following a prolonged battle with colorectal cancer that defined her final years. The actress known globally as Miss Cleo died on Tuesday, July 26, 2016, at the age of 53, a fact confirmed by multiple news outlets and biographical sources without dispute regarding the circumstances or medical cause. While specific details of her hospitalization or final days remained private, the confirmation of the disease was widely reported immediately after her death, focusing on her struggle rather than any controversy surrounding the event itself. Public reaction arrived swiftly through tributes from major media institutions like The New York Times and NPR, which highlighted her ubiquity in 1990s pop culture, while online communities engaged in discussions about her role in challenging racial and gender stereotypes. In the posthumous era, her estate has been managed through various media projects that explore her life and career, including the 2022 documentary Call Me Miss Cleo.[edit]

Per iFANN's editorial analysis, Youree Dell Harris's net worth at the time of her death in 2016 is estimated at $5 Million, a figure adjusted for 2026 to reflect ongoing earnings of her estate. The bulk of her wealth originated from her tenure as the face of the Psychic Readers Network, where she earned a salary and likely received residuals from ubiquitous commercials. Since her passing, the estate has generated income through licensing her image and likeness, as well as royalties from the 2022 documentary and the 2024 Lifetime film. The estate retains intellectual property rights to the Miss Cleo persona, which have been the subject of legal disputes. In September 2025, A&E successfully defended against a lawsuit filed by the "Miss Cleo Network," which sought to claim rights to the brand. The estate's financial trajectory remains steady, with continued interest in her story keeping the brand alive.[edit]